


His Majesty (Slide Away)

by Hxrny_Mxcca



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Alpha!John, Alpha!Ringo, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Beta!George, Demolition of Monarchies, Discrimination, First Meetings, Fluf, George Harrison Is a Good Friend, M/M, McLennon, Mpreg, Omega Heats, Omega!Paul, Past Character Death, Princes & Princesses, Public Image, Royal Families, Royals, Slow Burn(ish), Smut, Weddings, media attention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:00:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28935192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hxrny_Mxcca/pseuds/Hxrny_Mxcca
Summary: The day of Prince James Paul’s 14th birthday had to be the worst day of his life. It was the day he’d presented as an Omega, the most shameful role in society. Any future plans of being the King of Rotherham were stripped away from the ex-prince, and his father was desperate to marry him off immediately after his 18th birthday.Prince John Lennon of Aquitaine was the Alpha the Omega was to Marry, and their future was set. Once John’s old hag of an Aunt was off the throne, John would be the King of Aquitaine, Paul his Omega consort. Everything was set for the two boys.Even if they hadn’t even met yet.
Relationships: John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Comments: 80
Kudos: 174





	1. Dread

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> This is my new story that I have been working on for around three months now. I hope you all enjoy it, as I’m enjoying writing it a lot!
> 
> ~Elizabeth.

Paul couldn't believe that this day had actually arrived. The day of his 18th birthday, the day he finally left the castle. Though to his father, the king of Rotherham, it was the day that his most useless son was finally rid of. Married away to the Prince, soon to be king, of Aquitaine. 

Leaving Rotherham castle was a long memory, one that he hadn't experienced since before his fourteenth birthday. On that day... Everything changed. Presenting as an Omega was Paul's downfall, as it was for many Omega's, but for a Prince... It was disgraceful, and Jim had wanted Paul gone as soon as possible. The man was merciless.

His mother's death when he was almost 15 years old was blamed on him too, as-well the newfound shame from the people on the monarchy of Rotherham. The public of the Kingdom of Rotherham had seemed to turn on their royals, the news tabloids not failing to show their distaste to the family. 

But Mary... She had been Paul's only hope. She gave Paul a sort of confidence boost after the unfortunate news. She, herself, was an Omega, and knew what it was like to be classed as shameful. Mary was too married off at 18, to his father. It was sad, but if course if she wasn't, Paul wouldn't have been born. Though sometimes he found himself wishing that he hadn't been...

Mary had got him through that phase in the beginning, though. And even though the woman was an Omega, she was still Jim's Queen, fortunate enough to have a title. Jim had wanted to lock Paul away in his bedroom chambers as soon as he had smelt the new Omega scent that had belonged to Paul, laced with the smell of fresh lavender, but Mary had forbid it. 

_He is still my son! Just as much of a Prince as my other son! He is not being confined to his chambers, not as long as I live!_

Then in the Autumn of 1956, she passed away... Jim said it was because of the stress of having an unruly Omega son, who would not just stay in his chambers. He had caused too much of a fuss, and the woman eventually couldn't take it.

They guarded Paul's door, day and night, the only interaction he ever had being from either his younger brother Michael or someone delivering his meals. Though it was a different person every day, he hardly ever cared to see their face.

In 1957, Michael presented as an Alpha, and from then on Paul saw less of Michael too. He was too busy learning how to become the King of Rotherham, and how to be a worthy leader... A good leader was definitely needed with the press' views on the Royals getting worse.

The next two years were boring, so boring that there came a time where Paul feared he might die from boredom. But Michael still hadn't forgotten Paul's and for his 16th birthday, the 15 year old had purchased the Omega a grand piano. Michael was an Alpha, the future king, he didn't need his father or anyone's permission.

It stood in the corner of the large room, in which Paul had become very familiar with the walls of. Paul taught himself how to play the instrument, immediately being able to tell what string of chords sounded good, and what sounded bad. He noted that down, repeated them, and suddenly his boredom had been lost in the form of a new hobby.

On his 17th birthday, Michael was away. The young Alpha had duties such as travelling the kingdom, making himself known to the people. It was important that they got to know their real future king. Paul didn't mind, Michael still wrote him letters. 

_They welcomed me, Paulie, they really did..._

_But they miss you, so much. You and Mother..._

_They told me to tell you they're still thinking of you, Paulie._

Paul remembered crying at one of those letters, just at the fact that the outside world still remembered him... They even missed him. A part of him hoped they felt bad for him, he just wanted someone other than Mike to show him sympathy.

But they remembered him, and that did make him happy...

Then the 18th of June 1960 came around, and suddenly, everything was about to change. He wasn't going to be the restricted prince of Rotherham, who was desperate to be free... He'd be the Prince of Aquitaine, and had no say in the new marriage.

He'd considered becoming a runaway bride, a stray Omega. Creating his own little hideout in the woods that surrounded the Kingdom from twigs and rocks, hiding away there. Atleast he'd be free. But if he hadn't managed to escape the castle in the last three and a half years, he highly doubted he'd manage escaping it now, on his final day here.

Servants had been in and out all week, packing up most of his little belongings. The piano had gone the day before, hopefully being shipped over to Aquitaine for him to meet once he too arrived there. Along with his other things, of course, but he just hoped that his piano was there... It was the one thing that could still connect him to Mike once he was so far away...

On the final day, he'd been escorted away from the echoey room, which walls he'd had to bare for way to long. They'd led him down the long, red carpeted corridor, and into the main throne room. He was greeted with his father, sat on the his own golden throne. Jim looked at the Omega from on top of the expensive seat, hardly any sort of expression on his face.

Mike stood next to the King, in front of the throne which was once their mother's. The brothers both tried not to make any form of eye contact, for they both understood that they may just break out into tears on the spot if they did.

"Four years." Jim's raw, vicious voice spoke. " _Four Years..._ That's how long I have waited for this moment..." His voice was taunting, but Paul refused to let it get to him. This man was nobody to him anymore.

The King cleared his throat, adjusting his position, looking away from the nerve-wracked Omega. He spoke up again.

"On your left his Jared." The King referred to the group of people that had slowly formed behind Paul during Jim's silence. "He will accompany you on the journey to Aquitaine. The quarter of an hour car journey to the Airport, the plane ride, the car ride to Aquitaine Castle and such..." He now sounded rather fed up.

But Paul didn't respond. He was an Omega, it wasn't his place to respond to an Alpha without being asked beforehand. Especially not the King...

Jim's eyes were on him once more, threatening.

"If you dare to play up on him, you are no longer my responsibility. Until you are married to the Prince in the next few weeks, you belong to the Queen. She will be the one to discipline you if you do such a irresponsible thing." Jim stated. "Understood, Omega?"

"Understood." Paul's small, frail voice responded. He could feel everyone's eyes on him.

"Good." The King nodded, rising to his feet and standing next to the saddened Michael. He cleared his throat once more. "Now, be gone, Omega."

There was a click of fingers behind him, and Paul immediately looked to Mike. The boy looked like he was about to burst out into tears... All Paul wanted to do was be a good older brother, run up to the boy and hug him... But the click meant that he was to pay attention to whoever had made the action.

He gave Mike a small and adorable wink, but could not look at the boy for long enough to see his reaction. Paul's face was now looking at Jared. An at least 6 foot tall man with no facial hair and shirt black hair, small sideburns. Jared turned to look at the King once more, bowing, before grasping Paul's shoulder and leading him towards the exit of the Palace. 

He hadn't left the Palace in what felt like a lifetime, he barely remembered the massive gates infront of it, and how they stood tall with white pillars next to them. The black car was parked at the bottom of the steps, no red carpet or such accompanying him as it did the last time he walked down them.

However the door was opened for him, slamming shut once he had taken his seat. Jared entered through he other side, muttering for the driver to set off. Paul's gaze was focused on the front windows of the Palace, staring at them. This was his home... A place he hadn't left in years.

Paul feared everything was happening at once. 

"Omega!" Jared clicked his fingers. Paul jumped. "Eyes in front at all times..."

The Omega did as told, his head turning to face the back of the head rest of the empty passenger seat. His posture was proper, and he watched the reflection of the Palace from the small wing-mirror attached to the side of the black car.

The white Palace seemed to get smaller, and just like that, everything Paul had ever known instantly disappeared from his vision.


	2. Nerves

The hour long plane ride felt like it went on forever. 

All Paul did was stare out of the window, looking at the clouds as though he was about to jump on one of them. He would, in all honesty. If he could, he'd jump right out of the emergency exit door and hope to land on one of the clouds. 

Jared had remained sat next to him the entire time, going through newspapers like they were lottery scratch cards. He barely acknowledged Paul's existence, unless the Omega's shoulders had slumped and he was no longer sat properly as an Omega should.

As the air hostess announced that there was only 20 minutes of the flight left, Paul felt a lump appear in the back of his throat. This _was_ really happening... 

He wasn't sure if he wanted it now. Back when he was 14, his immediate reaction to this life would have been one of repulsiveness. He hated the idea of being bound to a future King, the thought of that relationship making him feel strangled. However, after the last three or so years, all he'd wanted to do was escape those four walls, flee from his father.

And even if he wasn't free, this new palace... Paul was sure it would feel at least a little more liberating than his previous one.

Then there was the thought of the future king. Paul hadn't even seen a picture of him, he barely knew his age, just that he was in his early 20's. At least he wasn't some middle aged man, who'd probably have an ever so threatening gaze.

But this man that he was getting married to... He hadn't even really known his name or anything about him.

John, in his 20's, prince of Aquitaine, 5"10. That was all that Paul knew.

Paul was marrying a total stranger.

"Sir." A light voice asked, and Paul didn't know why, but he snapped his head around. 

The hostess was clearly addressing Jared. Nobody would call Paul sir, nobody had for exactly four years. He'd gotten used to it... But it seemed that being released into society once again meant that what he'd gotten used to was being challenged.

"Yes?" Jared responding, folding his final newspaper.

"5 minutes till landing, sir." 

"Right." He nodded, and the woman left.

Jared cleared his throat, straightening up his own posture from the seat, next to Paul, that he was sat in. He didn't look Paul in the eyes. Hell he didn't even look at him.

"Once we land, you will be expected to follow me. We will reach the door of the plane, where Malcom and I will guide you down the steps." He spoke, bluntly, reaching for a cigarette. That was one habit Paul was glad he wasn't allowed to take part in. "There will be press, there may even be civilians. I simply do not know just yet. Understand."

"Understand." Was all Paul responded at first. When Jared turned to look at him, sharply raising an eyebrow at him. "Understood, sir." He quickly corrected himself.

Jared nodded.

"That is a mistake you must stop making, Omega. The residents in the palace will certainly not tolerate it. _Especially_ not the Queen."

Queen Elizabeth. Mimi was the nickname the public had given her, Mike had told him. Though Paul was not sure if that was true.

"Understood, sir."

Jared hummed in contempt, finally lighting his cigarette.

"We will lead you straight into the vehicle. Try not to make eye contact with the flashing lights from the press, officially, you're not supposed to be introduced to Aquitaine until your wedding day. If lucky, the days before."

"Yes, sir." Jared seemed happy with that response.

The man began to smoke his cigarette, and Paul looked out to the window once more as the plane landed. 

It was sunny outside, clouds continuing to fill parts of the blue sky. Paul already knew they were there, he'd just been up in them, after all. He watched as the plane drifted to the ground, most of the land he could see consisting of brick houses, a lot of trees, and in the distance he could see a river. He tried desperately to scout the area for the castle, but he just couldn't see it. Maybe it was on the other side.

The plane landed, and the air hostesses rushed to the area around the door. Jared put his cigarette out, before standing to his feet.

"Up."

Paul immediately did as he was told, raising to his own feet. He was already nervous enough, he didn't need Jared to get angry at him. Everyone was already against him, they all hated him. The only reason he was here is because he had no place being anywhere else. These royals, they were the only people that wanted him.

"Head down. Follow me."

Jared led the Omega down the aisle of the plane, before stopping near the door. There was a knock on the other side of it, before it flew open. Inside stepped one of the tallest men Paul had ever seen. That must have been Malcom, his bodyguard.

Paul couldn't really see his face, too scared to focus his eyes on anything other than the black carpet of the private, royal plane.

"Is he ready?" Malcom asked Jared, standing infront of the lined up air hostesses. The pilot stood behind them, his hat remaining on his head. 

"Of course." Jared responded.

Malcom stepped back out again, onto the second step of the plane. Once the man stood there, Jared urged Paul out too. The Omega's vision remained looking down. He didn't dare look up. 

As soon as he was in the doorway, breathing in the fresh air, he could hear the cameras start to snap photos. The lights were bright, and Paul was glad when Mal started to make his way down.

Then there were these shouts... Screams, almost. They weren't coming from the same place as the flashing lights were, mostly the completely opposite direction. The cameras were to his left, the shouts were to his right. 

With every step he took, the shouts grew louder, and by the middle step, he had to look. Paul's gaze finally lifted up, and sure enough, the cameras were on his left. 

But on his right... There was a crowd. Easily at least 15,000 people, all crowded by a line of metal security fences. They were all wearing colourful hats and clothes, waving flags with 5 strips of each Blue and Orange on, a line of white underneath. It must have been the flag of Aquitaine.

They had to have been mocking him. Why else would they be... Shouting at him?

But they waved their flags with such... Excitement. They seemed happy, beaming with such passion, actually. He'd seen it before. Many moons ago, of course, but he had seen it.

Why for Paul? Why for an Omega?

They reached the end of the staircase, and Malcom placed his hand on Paul's shoulder, leading him to the black car on the ground. He opened the door, and Paul slid inside. Jared followed, and Malcom quickly slammed the door shut. Paul didn't know where he went, probably in a car following behind.

Jared let out an agitated shiver, clearly not expecting what he'd just experienced.

It had been around 15 seconds, and the car hadn't started moving. Paul wished to ask why, but he couldn't. When he heads Jared let out a frustrated groan, he knew he'd get his answer.

"Why on _earth_ are we still here!" He shouted at the driver.

"We have been advised to wait here."

"Wait here-" He began, seeming appalled. "What the hell do you mean, wait here? I have the future husband of the Prince of Aquitaine with me. Her majesty expects the Omega there by 3pm, sharp! Please explain to me just what is so important that we must stop, and wait here like utter fools?"

"Well, sir... I'm afraid the crowd is too big. The police are bringing in backups to help shift them, but the station is 15 minutes away..."

"What do you mean, the crowd is too big?" Jared snapped.

"The crowd, here to see the Omega. It's never been seen before. It wasn't even like this for the princess' husband's arrival, sir."

The crowd of people... Here to see the Omega.

To see _Paul_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instagram - hxrny_mxcca  
> Wattpad - stxrry_mxcca  
> Tumblr - hxrnymxcca


	3. Future Husband

John felt sorry for the poor sod.

Every child grew up with worry that they would present as an Omega. In fact, every child dreaded their fourteenth birthday, knowing that there was a 1 in 3 chance that they would present as such. It was random, like someone's sex. It didn't matter if you were strong and sporty, or if you were shy and needed guiding in life, the outcome was random.

And John could not imagine what the poor boy he was getting married too had dealt with for the last four years. Ringo, John's best friend, had claimed that he had researched this 'James' boy, and so the two had spent one curious evening searching through books on Rotherham to find out more about him.

A brief summary was that the boy was adored by every single citizen of Rotherham. He was in every single newspaper as he was growing up, crowds lining the streets to see him and his brother drive by. But once the boy's 14th birthday had passed, his face was barely seen again, apart from a few photos of him in mainstream newspapers.

The final time any newspaper showcased him was in their 15th of September, 1956 issue. And then on the 31st of October, 1956, Rotherham lost their Queen, and Paul lost his mother. Matching the dates on newspapers was enough evidence one needed, as John had noticed that Paul was never seen again at all after his mother's passing. It was the King preventing his son from being shown in public, that was clear enough.

It all saddened John deeply, even if his Aunt Mimi had hired the best people to educate him against feeling such emotions.

"Rich..." John asked the other Alpha, who was sat comfortably behind him. John stared at Ringo through the mirror, where the Prince was being dressed by a servant. 

"Aye?" Ringo was sat in a velvet hot seat, in the corner of John's soon to be ex-bedroom.

It was bare, apart from two seats, the bed and the mirror. His belongings had been transported away from the children's quarters of the palace, where he used to live, and into his new quarters, the Heir's quarters. He had no choice in the matter, Mimi would not allow himself and his future partner to leave the palace and live in their own house, and remaining in the children's quarters with his sisters was out of the question. 

"How do you think I should approach him?" John asked, trying to spot Ringo past the moving servant.

"What is that supposed to mean, John?" Ringo was the only person John allowed to address him so informally. "You're aware you must refer to him as 'Omega', especially whilst the Queen is present."

"Yes but..." John sighed. "I do not wish to startle him..."

"The boy will be used to it, you will not startle him... James has had four years experience of people addressing him as 'Omega'." Ringo explained, beginning to fold his newspaper up. "To be quite honest, I think it will startle the kid more if you do not address him as such."

Ringo had a good point...

There was a knock on the door, and the servant finished fiddling with John's blazer. He took a step back.

"Enter!" John called over to the door, and in a few short seconds, the white, gold coated doors opened. John's personal assistant, Stuart, stood there. "Ah, Stuart. How may I help you?"

The servant dressing John left, and Stuart fully entered the room.

"The Queen has requested you at the entrance, sir." The scruffy-like beta informed the Prince, who was reaching over for a cigarette.

"And which entrance would that be, Stuart?" John remarked, rewarding himself a snicker from Ringo, as the other Alpha lit it for the Prince.

"The grand entrance, your highness."

"Ah, the one below the grand stairs." John nodded, his voice rather muffled due to the cigarette between his teeth. 

"Yes, sir." The Prince took a drag, allowing the smoke to billow through the bare and echoey room.

"Good." John hummed in contempt. "And how far away is the Prince?"

"Do you mean the Omega?" The young boy asked, rather confused at the way John had addressed his future husband. 

"No." John stated bluntly. "If I say the Prince, then I mean the Prince. Do you not think I am sure of what I am saying, Hm?"

"I.. I- uh." Stuart was not sure on what to respond, instead just stood awkwardly, playing with his own hands. "I'm sorry, sir."

Stuart was only 17, he was new to the job, and John couldn't help but get the most out of the boy humour wise, especially whilst Ringo was present. Of course, John was just teasing the uneducated assistant, but the Alpha liked to think of it as testing him. But John was a hundred percent aware of what he was doing.

"Good." He hummed once more, flicking the ash from his cigarette onto the ashtray. "Now, you may go back to the queen, and tell her me and Richard here will be present in 15 minutes, understood?"

"Indeed, sir." 

Stuart excused himself from the room. Ringo couldn't help but snicker again as the door shut on him.

"Christ." He chuckled. "Why did you agree to have such a scrawny, uneducated Beta as your personal assistant?"

"I didn't..." John responded around the cigarette again. "Anyway, he's only young. Nice to teach him the job I suppose, with a little fun on the way, of course."

"Right..." Ringo nodded, looking at him suspiciously. "We better get downstairs before she comes up here herself." 

"Comes up herself." John repeated, snickering to himself. "She'd rather I wasn't present at all, even though it's my future husband arriving. The witch'd leave me up here all day if she could do so. But of course I wouldn't wish her presence upon anyone else, especially not poor little James."

"I agree. He's probably been through enough anyway."

"Aye." John agreed.

With a final set of laughter between the two, John put out his cigarette, leaving it behind in the ashtray on the side. He took one last look in the mirror, before following after Richard.

As much as he hated to admit it, John was ever so nervous. Every step that his black boots took on the red, patterned carpet, his stomach seemed to turn. John was about to meet the man he'd be spending the rest of his life with.

However John knew that James would be even more terrified, knowing that he wasn't just marrying a man he'd never met, but that he would not get the same respect as John. He would not have a valid title, either.

The Queen Elizabeth, Mimi, demanded the staff treat him like any normal Omega, if not worse. And so the first days of James' presence would be almost unbearable for him. But once the two were married, luckily John was _in charge_ of him.

He hated thinking that he was basically in charge of another person, especially a Prince, but then again, John could not help but be glad. With Mimi as his 'owner', James' life would continue to be one of confinement.

But once he was under John's rules, he would slowly, but surely, begin to find his own way in this life. John would make sure of it.


	4. Distractions

“You shall address her as ‘your majesty’ when you first greet her, and kneel to her. You must remain on your knees for at least three seconds, eye contact on the floor. And you must remember that every time you see the queen, you must kneel to her like so. Failure to do so will result in a punishment.” Jared explained, the car driving through the main road of the city. 

Paul had to admit, it was difficult listening to the Alpha beside him, everything else being too much of a distraction. Surrounding the car were shops, hundreds of shops, from what he could see. There were men and women walking around, either peering into the glass windows of said shops, posting their mail in a red postbox, talking to eachother, or just simply walking.

He hadn’t seen civilisation like this for years. Even then, being surrounded by family like the royal family was admittedly different to an average human. The Royals were made to be glamorous, to be role models. Their purpose was not just to serve their people, but it was to give their people someone to admire, and to look up to. A Royal should be an icon to their Kingdom.

“You are to address her as ma’am at the end of short sentences, Omega.” Jared spoke, noticing that Paul’s attention was not solely on him. His teeth clenched. “Omega, I will not tell you again-”

Out of nowhere, Jared was interrupted by screams once again, the sound of cameras violently clicking once more. Paul shot his attention back to the slightly blacked out windows, trying his best not to gasp when he noticed not just the large, iron gates in front of the vehicle he was in, but also the massive crowd of colour surrounding the route through them.

Policemen tried to budge the crowd of people out of the way, pushing the press back with them. However the people kept trying to push forward once more, visibly desperate to catch a glimpse of their new Omega Prince. 

As the car drove closer, Paul could see them smiling, waving him inside as the gates opened and the car drove through. He knew he shouldn’t turn around, he should keep his gaze focused ahead and stare at the large, dominating palace in-front of him, as well as the neatly placed trees and Aquitaine flags that followed the gravel road all the way to the end. But he couldn’t, he could still slightly hear the joyous screams and shouts, and could still slightly see the flashing lights from behind.

His curiosity got the best of him, and without a second thought, the Omega turned around, peering out through the back window of the black car at the crowd that had gathered behind the gate. He could see men and women wearing bright clothes from a distance, oranges, pinks and reds, as well as journalists in Black suits. It was only when there was a hand roughly grabbing his shoulder that his vision was pulled away from him.

“Ah!” He yelped as he was forced to face Jared.

And then there was a slap, the Alpha’s hand smacking the side of his pale face. Paul cried out that time, not expecting the fierce hand of the Alpha to meet his own cheek. 

“If you refuse to listen to me for any longer, Omega, then what your father informed you of will definitely happen. I will report your unruly behaviour to Queen Elizabeth herself and she will have your punishment seen too immediately!” Jared told Paul, his voice angry and eyebrows furrowed in fury. “Do you hear me?”

Paul didn’t respond, just gulped harshly.

“Do you hear me, Omega?!” The Alpha repeated, much louder this time.

“Y-Yes Alpha...” The Omega whispered out, fear spread out through his entire body.

“Good.” The man turned forward again, brushing his blazer down with his palms to rid of any stray hairs. “Now, face the front.”

“Yes Alpha.” Paul did as he was told, listening as the man took a breath.

“As for your Future Husband...” Paul’s gaze was pulled from the blue, orange and white flags of Aquitaine, that had been placed cautiously in between each tree, and he faced the back of the headrest instead, terrified that Jared would report his actions to the Queen... Or worse, his future husband... “You will address _him_ as Alpha. Now, you had a choice between Sir, Your Royal Highness, and Alpha, but I chose Alpha for you. This is just for this occasion, Prince John will choose your name for him once the two of you are married.”

Prince John...

He felt a lump appear at the back of his throat once more at the thought. It just so happened that as soon as Jared had finished his sentence, the car slowly came to a smooth stop.

He was terrified, once again.

-

_Your Majesty, kneel, 5 seconds._

_End in Ma’am_

Paul repeated the words in his head as he followed Jared to the large, black doors, that had clearly been placed there for centuries. Two guards, wearing dark Orange, knee length tunics with gold on the front began to open the inconvenient blockage.

Soon enough, Paul could see inside, the fist thing his eyes fixing upon being the Woman ahead of him in a dazzling light orange gown. She was stood in-front of a grand staircase, which stretched probably up to the height of two double decker buses, and a huge crown was on top of her brown, tied up, hair. A few steps into the palace, and he noticed more people, two young girls on the left of her, wearing lilac dressed that stretched to their ankles. 

But one person that really caught his eye was the handsome young man next to the Woman in orange, the Queen. Suddenly, he barely cared to look at anyone else, his eyes fixated upon that tall, beautiful Alpha. 

“Omega.” A sharp, feminine voice spoke , the noise echoing through the halls. 

The smell of Alpha in the room began to breach his sense of smell, and be felt almost dizzy at the sensation. However, nevertheless, Paul looked back over to the woman in grey. She really was intimidating, her posture straight and eyes daring.

Paul remembered what he had to do, and so with a secretive deep breath, his eyes fell to the floor, the Omega slowly dropping to one knee, before letting the other join it on the simple red carpet.

_5_

_4_

It was degrading, being knelt on the floor, Alpha’s and Beta’s surrounding him like he was their pray. In all honesty, he felt like a dog, who’d been ordered to sit by it’s owner.

_3_

_2_

But that’s how he should feel, that’s how any Omega in this situation was made to feel.

_1_

Paul rose to his feet again, slowly, immediately meeting the Queen’s glaring gaze once more.

“Your Majesty...”


	5. Shattered

"Your highness..." Paul spoke, his eyes on the Queen. The Omega tried his hardest not to wince at her gaze, especially when he noticed her eyes look up and down his small figure repeatedly.

"Martin!" She called in a high voice, staring at Paul as she did so.

A man wearing almost the same outfit as the guards, bar it was longer and and the tunic a deeper orange, presented himself infront of the Queen, bowing majestically.

"Your majesty..." 

"Martin, take the Omega to his quarters. Send him off with his Valet." The Queen turned her gaze up to the enchanting, golden chandelier above them. "Ship shop, go on." She shooed Martin away with her hand, like he was an irritating child.

"And what about the Prince John, your majesty?" Martin asked, his hands held behind his back.

"Prince John will follow later on. I must have a talk with him first."

"Great." A voice from next to Queen Elizabeth mumbled, and Paul noticed that it was John, the dazzling man he noticed as he'd entered the palace.

/He/ was John?!

The little girls on her opposite side began to giggle, and the Queen shot her head around to the Prince.

"Watch it, boy." She glared at him, and the children's face immediately stopped. "Martin!" She snapped.

"Yes, your majesty." Martin nodded, turning to face Paul. He cleared his throat. "Follow me, Omega."

As soon as Martin began to walk, Paul followed him. He managed to quickly dart his head to the left to get a final looks at his Prince, the man he would be eloping with, only to realise that John was gazing right back at him.

John's lips twitched into a soft smile.

Paul didn't know what to do, nobody ever smiled at him, nobody except Mike. By the time the Omega had processed what just occurred, he was forced to turn his head away and face the golden stairs.

-

"Your Valet is new, so please bare with him, Omega..." Martin told Paul as they walked through a long, red wallpapered corridor. Many servants walked past the two of them, nodding their head at Martin, but none addressing Paul at all. "The same rules do apply, however, and you should treat him with the same respect that you treat anybody else. For he is a beta..."

Martin seemed to cringe at that last sentence, his teeth slightly gritting and head tilting to the side. It was an action that was so timid, if Paul was not forced to look directly at the man, he would not have noticed.

"Is that understood, Omega?" He asked, seeming stern. However underneath the man's strongly presented voice, Paul could sense a feeling of vulnerability. Like someone was forcing Martin to act this way, a metaphorical gun up to his head.

"Yes Alpha."

Martin just nodded in response.

"This here... This is both the Prince's and your quarters... You will not get lost, for your Valet will show you around eventually..." Martin explained to him.

"O-Okay..." He stuttered out, yet Martin did not scold him as Jared would have.

Instead the man just slowed down, the two of them approaching a large, white door. Clearing his throat, he took a step forward, reaching his hand out to push open the large object. It opened with a creak, which rather made Paul jump.

"Harrison..." Martin called, looking around the room from the doorway. "Ah." The man opened the door further, making way for Paul to enter. "Enter, Omega."

Paul did so, his head staring at the blue carpet on the ground. 

"Omega, this is George." He looked up from the floor, the first thing he noticed being a Beta, standing ever so nervously in-front of a round wooden table.

"Greetings, Omega."

" _G-Greetings_ , Beta." 

They stared at each other for a few seconds, that felt almost like minutes. Though George's posture was proper, Paul could see him fiddling with his nails behind his back. The kid was nervous, just like he was, that was for sure.

"I shall return later on to inform you of Prince John's arrival." Martin spoke from behind Paul in the doorway.

"Uh... Thank you, Martin." George thanked the man, who nodded. No further words were exchanged, and The Alpha left the room.

It was a rather large room, however very bare. There was the round table in the middle, with an expensive vase on the top, and a velvet sofa behind it. To both the left and right, stood two large doors, pulled shut.

"Sir?" A small voice addressed him, and Paul froze. His eyes remained focused on one of the doors, for he felt like he could not move.

_Sir_

Why was this Beta addressing him as such? 

Paul was an Omega, George was a Beta. So why had he not been taught well enough to know how he should refer to Paul? Surely... Surely Martin or another high ranked person should have informed him.

Then a careful hand was on Paul's shoulder, and the Omega jumped.

"Woah- Woah..." George retreated his hand almost immediately, his face filled with shock. "I-I'm sorry, sir..."

There it was again. That word that Paul had been stripped from being allowed the honour of baring four years ago. 

George had to be mocking him... That would be the only reasonable explanation for business.

"C'mon..." The Beta headed over to a chair, retreating it from where it had once rested under the table. "You look like you need to sit down..."

George was right, he really did need to sit down.

With the help of the Beta, Paul managed to take a hesitant seat. Everything has just been so crazy, this day has just been a hectic rollercoaster of emotions, and Paul had just wanted to cry...

And so that's what he did.

He remained in the seat, George stood above him, and the Omega began to weakly sob. Tears strolled down his face, and he didn't even care if someone were to walk in right now and see the state of him. Not even Jared, who would definitely have his behaviour punished.

"I- Oh goodness..." George muttered, sounding totally in shock. "Uh... Do you need me to bring on Martin...?" His voice was not threatening, like Jared's would have been, it was gentle.

George was not mocking him, that much was now apparent. However Paul had been nervous, freaked out... So, so confused and overwhelmed.

"N-No... Please do not..." He whimpered out.

"Okay..." George immediately agreed, his voice remaining soft but still hesitant. 

A chair was pulled up next to Paul, and the next thing Paul knew, George was sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder soothingly and a handkerchief was kindly offered to him.

"Thank you, sir..." Paul sniffed out.

"Please... Call me George." George told him. As much as Paul wished to tell the Beta otherwise, that he was not able to do so, he knew he couldn't do that. George was a beta, and even had a higher status than himself. He had to follow his orders.

"Yes s-" He cut himself off. "Yes, George." 

The two sat there for a few more minutes, The Omega sniffing into the handkerchief every so often. The room was silent, echoey, and Paul still felt so out of place.

He was shattered.

"Do you know where my sleeping quarters are? I must lay down... I-If that it okay, of course..." The Omega asked, his doe eyes teary and red. He did not want to be tired when the Prince was present.

"Of course..." George smiled at him, another action which he was so confused by.

The Beta helped him onto his feet, and over to the doors which he had been starting at earlier before. George pushed it open, revealing an even bigger room. The walls were a peachy colour, white bed frame laced with gold. There was a rich chandelier just hanging form the roof in the middle of the room, and Paul couldn't help but gasp.

"I know." George chuckled. "It really is something..."

George helped him strip down into only his undergarments, leading the Omega into the kingsized bed. 

Paul was completely shattered, and in the matter of a few seconds, the Omega was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone reading this! ❤️


	6. Pride and Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait in updates. I hope you don’t mind...

John watched as the Omega followed Martin up the golden staircase, three steps behind with his head bowed down. Sure, John had seen rather a lot of Omega's, but mostly on television or in magazines. Rather _interesting_ magazines that Ringo had snuck over to him, they were.

However it was rare that there was an Omega in the castle. His elder sister, Victoria, presented as an Omega in 1952, when she was also fourteen... And his dear mother presented as an Omega oh so many years ago now. But John didn't really know of any more...

Still, John had never seen an Omega look as fragile as James. Not even his mother when she had been married off, or his sister at that. However John supposed maybe it was because they had not been forced to live in the exact same room for three entire years. 

Though they were restricted from some things, the women had never been treated as bad as Paul clearly had been.

"Right." Mimi spoke to the remainder of the crowd, clapping her hands together. "Back to work..." The woman made a shooing action to the servants, who rushed off immediately. "Margaret." Mimi clicked to the nanny stood next to John's younger sisters.

"Of course, ma'am." The nanny nodded, her sweet hands guiding the formally dressed young princesses away.

"I think I shall head home, John." Ringo added from next to him. 

"Why so?" John frowned, taking a glimpse to his left, glad when he saw the Queen busy talking to John's courtier, Brian. "You can't possibly think of leaving me alone with that witch..." 

Ringo smirked, giving a slight chuckle.

"No, I must go. Mother is not well... I promised I would only be away for a short while." The Alpha sighed.

"Oh... Oh of course, you head home." John reassured his best, and practically only, friend of fourteen years. "Give Elsie my best wishes."

"Indeed, and you call me later, tell me what he's like..." Ringo was of course referring to James.

"I will." With that, Ringo turned around, and John watched the guards open the main doors for him to exit. 

The future king stood there, the large room practically bare, apart from a small number of silent guards. John glanced to his right, hoping to see the Queen so he could get her _conversation_ out of the way, but when the only person in his vision was Stuart, he groaned.

"Where on earth did she go?" He grumbled.

"The Queen has asked me to guide you to her quarters, sir." Stuart spoke, bowing his head. 

"Guide me? I have lived here long enough... Does she not think me smart enough to find my own way?"

"Apparently not, sir." 

"Well..." John didn't know why she had to walk ahead anyway. "Let us try and catch up with her."

The younger courtier nodded, before leading the way.

-

The Queen's section of the palace was an awfully dull area, in John's opinion. The walls in most rooms bared the same browny/red colour, not to mention the lack of... Expression. It had been the same ever since his uncle George died, The Queen's Omega consort of her own. 

It had been over fifteen years since the Queen's Omega had passed in his sleep, fifteen years since practically every occupant in the palace had heard Mimi's horrifying scream. The woman had not been the same since... Never wishing to remarry, arrogance becoming her most prominent trait.

George was _her pride and her joy_ , and since the day he died, Mimi's personality took a turn for the worse. Some newspapers liked to refer to the day as the day the heart of their Queen stopped beating.

John turned the corner, frowning to himself as he walked past the room that once belonged to his late Uncle. The grand, white doors had not been opened since, under Mimi's orders. His belongings had remained in the dark, eerie room, and it hurt for John to even walk past that cruel door.

But soon enough, the Prince was infront of Mimi's bedroom, only next to George's own. He waisted no time in pushing the thing open, wanting to get these next few minutes over and done with so he can finally meet his own Prince.

Mimi was sat in her room, on a chair as a lady-in-waiting took out her earrings for her.

"Yes, thank you, Katherine." With that, the servant left, bowing to John as she walked past and out of the room, now filled with a slight awkwardness.

"What is it you want from me?" John spoke, his voice laid with attitude. He wanted Mimi to know the extent of how much he wished he was elsewhere.

"Now now, John... Don't be like that." The woman stood up from her dressing table, and John knew she had understood his tone. "I called you here so I could remind you of what is expected if you in these next few days..."

"What is _expected_ of me?" John repeated, confused.

"Yes. For the days leading up to your wedding, John."

"The wedding with the Omega I haven't even been granted permission to see yet?" John murmured, rolling his eyes.

"What was that?" She jeered, obviously having heard her irritated nephew clearly. John didn't respond. "Exactly. Now, wedding preparations are already being made. There are no guests permitted inside of the Abbey Hall for the next week or so, as the process will take a while to set up..."

"What process do you speak of?" 

"Well..." The Queen looked down to her hands, picking at the white, silk, gloves that covered both her hands and her arms up to just over her elbow. "For the television cameras, of course..."

John's mouth fell wide open.

"Television camera's?" He gawped.

"Yes." She responded, seeming rather timid for a second. 

"And what permission did I give for this to happen? What permission did James-"

"The Omega's permission is not wanted!" She snapped back, huffing. "You see, this is what I wished to talk to you about, John... I knew this is how it would be betrothing you to an Omega..." The Queen muttered, her eyes furrowed. Any timid-like behaviour she had once showed disappearing in an instance. "I had suggested a Beta, one of the Powell's... But no, government insisted on an _Omega_..."

"And what exactly is wrong with an Omega?" She just closed her eyes, biting on her lip to hold back the want to shout at her nephew. "Go on... Please do inform me..."

" _John_." The Queen simply stated, trying to keep her calm. "I do not wish to argue with you... My only reasoning for your company is so that I can explain how it will be for the first few months, understand?"

John didn't want to spend more time n in here than necessary, and so just nodded, rather pathetically, his eyes resting upon a painting of a landscape across from Mimi's bed.

"Good..." She breathed out. "Now, tomorrow, the two of you will be attending a press conference in the main drawing room."

"And how is James supposed to be able to stand a press conference? It's been four whole years since he was in a crowd as big as that of today... He will not be able to handle the press forcing microphones into his face, Mimi."

"He will handle what he is told to, John." She glared at him, and the Prince had to hold back a growl. "And that is another thing, you must stop addressing him as _James_."

"James is my future husband. I will address him as I wish."

" _James_ is an Omega... He is not to be addressed as anything but."

It was silent for a few seconds, the two Royals glaring at each other. Though John stood the high ground.

"What on earth do you think Uncle George would say if he was to watch you treat an Omega this way."

"Don't you /dare/ talk about him that way..." Her voice was deeper than before. "George was a much better and sophisticated man than you'll ever be."

"You're a goddamn hypocrite, Mimi." John spat, giving her one final glare before turning on his heels. He was done with that woman's shit. "Now if you don't mind, I'm finally going to meet _my_ Omega." 

With that, John left the room, nodding for Stuart to follow him as he practically sprinted away from said room. 

"Stuart." John practically whispered out, trying to calm himself down.

"Yes, sir?"

“Stop by Pyramus' garden on the way, would you?"

"Of course, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like they way I write in this story...


	7. Meetings

"Pyramus!" John called as he entered the fairly small, outcasted garden, not too far away from the rest of the palace's grounds. It was a special garden for The Prince’s pet cat, and inside was a mini wooden house, a elegant small waterfall and a few neatly shaped trees and bushes. John had been the one to design it at the age of 14. "Here Pyramus!" 

He heard a tiny yet excited meow from behind the low-key waterfall, and before John could call the cats name once again, the small, grey tabby made his way out from behind.

Pyramus meowed again, rushing over to greet his owner.

"Here, boy." John fell down to his knees, and the cat leaped into John's warm arms. The Prince simply could not help himself from stroking the cats soft fur. "I've missed you."

Meow.

Pyramus was the cat that John's mother, Julia, had bought him as a gift for presenting as an Alpha. That day was one of the rare occasions that Julia had revisited her childhood home, the palace. She had been married off at 18, just like James, and lived in another castle on the outskirts of the Kingdom. When John was 5, his bastard of a father father had passed away, and Julia had been granted more freedom as she was a  
widowed Omega. 

Mimi and Julia had never got on, not even as children. But now, as Mimi had ended up both an Alpha and a Queen, Julia barely won arguments anymore. 

Mimi did not want Julia as the sole carer of John or her other two daughters ever since she became a widow, and to say it angered and rather broke the heart of John was an understatement. Mimi would not even grant Julia permission to move into Aquitaine palace to be closer to her beloved children. It was all more reasons as to why John could barely stand his aunt, and it was public knowledge too.

Indeed, he could call his mother up on the telephone, but it was not the same as seeing her everyday.. John could travel to see her, but she never really came back here, unless something important was scheduled.

"C'mere." John stood up, the cat in his arms. The Prince chuckled as Pyramus leant his head in John's neck, tickling the chilly skin there.

He could see Stuart in the distance, standing at the door, waiting timidly to let John in. The boy was playing with his fingers, nervously, and the Prince couldn't help but make him jump.

"Stuart." John chimed, loudly, and to his amusement, Stuart jumped.

"Y-Yes sir... Follow me, if you will..." The nerve wracked boy led John down the corridor, and Pyramus was still, ever so safely, tucked in the Prince's safe arms.

-

Servants and decorators rushed up and down the corridor, each bowing to John as they walked past the Prince. However John's thoughts were in a completely different place. Every door that was not that of his husband and his own's new room, John glassed over. His mind was filled with _James_ , and how the Omega would react to him. John hoped it wouldn't be bad.

"Here we are." Stuart came to a stop, and the cat meowed in John's arms. He stroked the loveable creature as Stuart went to open the door.

Lord, what if James was allergic to cats?

"Stop!" John rushed out, rather loudly, and Stuart's hand immediately jumped back from the golden door handle. "Take Pyramus, would you?" 

"Of course, sir." Stuart took the cat in his arms, and John's hands travelled over to the door handle to gently open it himself.

A peek through the door, and the man he immediately saw did not look anything similar to the boy he'd briefly seen not to long ago. This moptop wearing boy was cautiously unpacking a single suitcase, making sure to be delicate with the belongings inside.

John cleared his throat, just as the boy went to reach for something else, and the younger immediately turned around. Once the mystery boy's eyes were on him, he could see the front of his uniform and it was apparent that he was James' valet.

"Your highness..." The Valet bowed.

"Yes... Hello..." John nodded, raising his eyebrows. "And who must you be?"

"I am The Omega's valet-"

"Yes, yes... But what is your name?" John urged, and the boy infront smiled widely.

"Oh. My name is George. George Harrison."

"/Harrison...” John repeated to himself. "And where is The Omega?"

George looked to his left, and John was met with a large bed. However this bed had not been made. Either that, or there was someone in it...

"He is in there, your highness...”

"Is he asleep?" John asked, sounding rather shocked.

"Yes, sir." George nodded.

"I see..." 

John could simply not help but take a few steps closer to the bedframe, and the closer he approached him, the more delicate features he could see. His Omega was lay on his back, eyelids and pale lips neatly closed.

He was beautiful, bared pale skin with a tint of blush on his cheeks... However, from where John was stood, a little green mark just below his right eye was noticeable. The Prince could not help but hope that it was just the lighting, that The Omega’s bed was situated under, tricking him. However, when the boy's lamp was switched on, it was clear to John that there was indeed a _bruise_ there.

Poor sod...

"Do you... Do you think you could dress him once more?" John asked, still looking at the sleeping Omega. "Just... Wake him up for me?"

"Of course, sir."

John would feel cruel waking The Omega up himself, but he would also feel even more twisted the boy was in his undergarments the first time they met. It would feel like an invasion of privacy, and John was not prepared to put James through that.

"Thank you..." John finally took a few steps back, nodding to George as he walked by. "As soon as possible, please."

"Indeed, your highness."

With that, John opened the door to take Pyramus back into his own arms, using a different access to reach his own room. There were two large doors opposite James' bed, and opening them lead to a mini drawing room with a table and chair, a few other things too. Opposite those doors were another grand set of doors, in which was John's room. The Prince closed Paul's own after him, placing Pyramus on the floor and looking around the mini drawing room. 

There hadn't been much planning that had gone into the three rooms in question, as John wanted to have his Omega decorate his own room, as well as the drawing room that separated it from John's own. John did not want James to feel excluded at all, even though he knew the feeling of exclusion could not be prevented simply by decorating a few rooms.

Around fifteen minutes passed, and there was a knock on the door to the drawing room, which startled the Prince a little from his playing with Pyramus. He rose to his knees, walking over to his own bedroom doors, and guiding Pyramus inside. 

With a slight clear of his throat and a double check, in the small mirror on the wall, that his tie was straight, he fixed his posture, placing himself infront of the doors to Paul's bedroom. 

"Ready, Harrison."

The next three seconds seemed to take forever, but once they'd finally passed, the doors opened and John was greeted with the sight of one of, if not the most beautiful Omega's in his life. The younger stood there, hands by his side and posture fine. 

The Prince could tell he was nervous by his trembling Adam's apple, and he could clearly see he was tired from his glistening eyes.

"Alpha." James stated, rather shyly, before dropping to his knees and bowing.

The shaking boy had done this not so long before for the Queen, and the thought of The Omega having to put John in the same category as his dreadful aunt in how he addressed the Prince disgusted him. John wanted to know who had informed James that he must act this way infront of John, and he wanted to talk to them.

John was James' future husband, not his boss. He did not have to get on his knees every time he was greeting the Prince. John wouldn't let him.

George was no longer in the room.

"You do not need to do that, you know?" John spoke, and The Omega looked up from his position on the wooden floorboards.

"W-What do you mean, Alpha?"

John sighed, reaching his hands out. "Here."

With a hesitant look, the younger took John's palms in his own, and The Prince kindly helped the boy up. The two stared at each other for a few minutes, John studying the rather confused and shocked Omega's face.

"Your name is James, is it not?" John asked the boy, his tone soft and rather welcoming.

"I- Yes, sir..." He stuttered out, and John tried not to let his heart crack.

"Do your friends call you James?"

"I don't have any friends..." John couldn't hold it back any more, at those words, he physically felt his heart break.

"Well... What would you like me to address you as?"

"Paul, please." 

"Of course." He smiled.

Paul. He liked that name.

"Well, Paul. You can call me John... It's what most people call me." The Prince smiled, sweetly. And from what John could make out, he saw a little smile twitch onto Paul's lips.

"Okay, John."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instagram- hxrny_mxcca  
> Wattpad- stxrry_mxcca  
> Tumblr- hxrnymxcca


	8. Cameras

"I'm afraid that in the morning we must be out of bed at sunrise..." John sighed to the nervous Paul from across the table, reaching into his pocket. The Prince pulled out a cigarette, and Paul's eyes shot out of his sockets. John noticed the odd action. "What is wrong, Paul?"

"Nothing..." Paul shook his head, attention falling down to the dark oak table below him. 

"Are you certain? You looked rather spooked for a second." Even though the Omega was not looking up, his ears caught the sound of John lighting the damned tobacco in his hand. 

"Yes, John." 

Before John could even think of a response, the two froze at a small, timid noise. It sounded like scratching, and was coming from behind John, seemingly from the other side of the mysterious doors opposite his own.

"Ah." John nodded to himself, standing up. Paul didn't say anything, just stared at him with an unsire expression. "Oh it's alright, honest." John smiled, fondly, using his free hand to grip onto the golden door handle. "Question, do you like cats?"

The Omega's eyes shot wide open once more, the boy's rather timid and uncertain frown turning into a contented smile.

"Oh! Oh, yes! I adore cats!" Paul chirped at the question, leaving John a little shocked at the outburst of sudden excitement. Nevertheless, the Prince let out a sweet chuckle. "Sorry..."

"No, no... Please... Do continue."

"Can I- I see the cat? Assuming this conversation is meaning that you have one..."

"Indeed I do..." John grinned, pushing the door open slowly.

Through the little gap, a grey and white cat came running out. Paul was an expert on cat breeds, and he clearly could see that this one was a tabby cat. 

"Oh, hello, baby..." Paul cooed as the darling animal rushed straight over to the new and unfamiliar Omega.

"This is Pyramus, he is... Hmm... Eight years old, I believe." John grinned, "Aren't you, baby?" 

The cat purred, lifting his body up so that his paws were on Paul's grey trousers. The tabby began meowing at Paul, purring repeatedly. Paul certainly did not think this would be how his fist day turned out.

"He's such an attention seeker." John chuckled, stroking the cat sweetly over his head and down his back.

"Oh no, this is nothing..." Paul explained, feeling relaxed at the conversation of cats. "My brother and I, Michael, used to own a cat. Beryl was her name, and she used to purr every five minutes if we did not dote on her constantly." He chuckled, and John smiled up at him.

Paul wished they could have talked more about cats, the sleep must have brought something of confidence out in him, however a knock on the door of the drawing room cancelled his wish immediately, as well as his mood.

"Enter." John rose to his feet, and the cat immediately jumped down. The feeling of nerves returned to Paul's veins, and he dropped his head down once more.

"Sir." A man, who Paul had not yet met, bowed to John.

"Brian. What is it you desire?" John asked, his tone... Changing. It rather startled Paul.

"I came to discuss the plans for tomorrow, your highness." 

"Indeed." John nodded, expecting Brian to continue. However the courtier did not, rather just stood, staring rather unsurely at John. "Yes? What is it?"

"Well... I- Uh..." Brian's eyes were on him, and it became clear to Paul why the conversation had not continued.

Without a word, The Omega stood up to leave and revisit his bedroom, but a voice stopped him. 

"Does this news address Paul, too?" John spoke, sternly. Paul had truly frozen on the spot.

"Paul?"

"James." He pointed to The Omega.

"Oh... Well, I suppose." Brian shrugged.

"Should he not stay whilst the plans are being discussed, then?" John defended Paul.

Paul had never felt this... Useful before. The fact that someone was defending him was extraordinary, and he felt he needed to slap himself to see if he was in some sort of dream...

"I suppose." Brian nodded.

"Good." John smiled, clapping his hands together and taking a seat once more. "Come head, Paul." John pointed to the seat.

And even if Paul wished to disobey his order, he couldn't. 

"Well... First on the agenda is the press conference tomorrow. The press will be greeted in the common drawing room at roughly 10:00am." Brian explained. "There will be photographic camera's, but most noticeably, television cameras."

Paul's eyes shot wide open at that thought. As if the vision of being at infront of a crowd of domineering Alpha's was not enough, the entire ordeal was going to be put on film for kingdoms everywhere to see. His breath hitched, and lucky for the Omega, John seemed to catch onto the noise.

"How about we skip the television camera's, Brian?" John suggested, but Brian just frowned.

"I'm sorry, sir. It is not possible... The cameras have already been set up in the common room, I am afraid." 

"The Queen's doing?" 

"Indeed." The courtier shallowly responded, to which John hummed in response. "However, it's believed the footage will have a positive response, so that the people of Aquitaine are able to greet their new Omega consort, as well as check in on their future King, of course."

That was a good point. No ordinary citizens would feel totally comfortable with a new member of their monarchy unless meeting them before hand. Also, Paul did wish to know how the people of Aquitaine viewed him. The crowds that morning had confused him greatly, and he did wish to see what was going on.

"Hmm... Yes. I do see your point." John agreed, giving a subtle glance to Paul before agreeing. "Okay. And what is the second piece of news?" 

"Well, your sister has requested that you visit her at some point, preferably with... Your future husband."

"Brian, my future husband has a name, and he is in the room, you do know?" John spoke.

"Yes, sir... Sorry, sir." 

"And as for Victoria, do inform her that I would be delighted... Paul, however." The Prince's eyes were suddenly on him, so we're Brian's, and Paul didn't know what to do... He just stared. "Would you like to join me on my trip?"

"I... If I am allowed, of course..." Paul stuttered out, in shock from someone asking such a thing.

"Great. Do inform her..." John repeated to Brian, and the man nodded. He bowed about to head away, when John stopped him. "Wait."

"Yes sir?”

"When will dinner be ready?" John asked, stubbing his cigarette out.

"Very soon, your highness."

"Good." With another bow, Brian left the drawing room, leaving John and Paul alone once more, Pyramus asleep under the table.

"You don't mind the television cameras, do you?" John double checked.

"No, Al- John..."

"Are you sure? I saw your face turn rather pale at the mention of such things..."

"No, it is fine..." Paul shook his head, and John nodded.

Just as John was about to speak up, Paul couldn't help but let a yawn fall from his soft lips, and his eyes widened once it was over. He didn't mean to do it, it just happened...

Where had his manners disappeared to?

"I-I'm sorry, Alpha..." Paul panicked out.

"Hey..." John's voice turned soft and worried at Paul's freaked out tone. "Don't worry, Paul.. It's okay... Do you wish for a nap?"

"Yes. Yes please..."

"Of course... I imagine it's been a tiring day."

"It has." Paul nodded, biting his lip nervously. Like a true gentleman, John opened the doors to Paul's bedroom, holding them open for the shattering Omega. "I might skip dinner, if that's okay...?"

"Of course." John smiled.

With that, John closed the door behind Paul, leaving the boy alone once again. The Omega could not help but glance around the large, spacious room. He didn't know what to do next... He just wanted to collapse on the bed.

But he didn't really have many clothes with him, he simply could not sleep in his formal wear, it would be too improper and he had barely anything else to change into.

Then he remembered George.

There was a telephone next to his bed, and Paul rushed over to it. The fist thing his eyes caught a glimpse of was a piece of white paper, ink scribbled on it.

_George H: 068975_

_:)_

Paul’s smile widened, reaching for the telephone in order to call George to help him undress. He was shattered, and couldn’t help but allow his attention to drift to the thought of his own Prince...


	9. Press

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick A/N-
> 
> I most likely will not update this story on the weekends, as I am usually /busy/. I hope you understand... :)

"When will the two of you be married, your highness?" A journalist asked, multiple cameras flashing behind them. 

"This Saturday." John responded, flashing a smile over to Paul. 

However the rather shattered looking Omega wasn't paying much attention, rather staring aimlessly infront of him, head tilted rather to the side. The boy looked like he'd been hypnotised, most likely because of the overwhelming scent of stressed Alpha that had caused it.

"Is the Queen excited for the wedding, sir?" A female journalist with bright blonde hair, sat in the corner of the room, asked. 

"Absolutely thrilled." John smiled at the woman, nodding widely. However John knew the situation was much more different.

Mimi hadn't even introduced herself fully to Paul yet. Infact, apart from Paul's arrival, the Omega hadn't seen the woman at all. It enraged John greatly that Mimi would not simply try and be tolerable, but the Alpha knew that she was just being stubborn. She'd wanted John to marry a Beta, however cabinet had advised her against it. An Omega mate was much more _traditional_ , they insisted, therefore denying her request.

The Queen did _not_ like to be told no.

She deemed Omega's useless and feeble creatures on the whole, which John knew was total absurdity. Mimi had adored her own Omega like he was heaven on earth, even demanding that cabinet lift the restrictions on Omega's rights in the Kingdom. That move was one of the reasons Mimi was rather liked by her people, at least in the beginning

Her and George used to frequently visit the people of the Kingdom, thrilled to see how rules surrounding Omega's had changed in her rein. Omega's were walking the streets alone, driving cars rather than just bicycles, they were drinking in bars, also. It was her greatest achievement, and she deemed herself 'the Queen of change.' 

However once George died, she rather neglected her people.

The rules did not return to how they had been in the beginning, however the Queen did not protest for more change. Her attitudes towards Omega's fell to one of neglect. In private, she addressed them as nuisances, though in public, she didn't address them at all. Change stoped in the domain of Omega's rights, and there were still things that Omega's could not do. Own property, own pets, smoke, date another Omega, or even leave the kingdom without the company of an Alpha or Beta. 

Despite the Queen's promise to fight earlier on in her rein, she had betrayed her people in a way. As a result, they had rather lost respect for her, however not enough to cause a rebellion. The people grieved along with her over the horrible loss of her Omega consort, as they all adored George.

Luckily, they still had hope for their future King, leading John to harbour a great desire to reassure the people of Aquitaine that their future would not be one of suffering. 

The room they were in at that time was warm and stuffy, and John could smell Paul's scent. He was definitely nervous, and even just by the shattered look in his Omega's eyes, John could tell that Paul was a few blinks away from passing out on the desk.

"Once the two of you are married, will we be expecting any children? A heir to the throne...?" Another press member asked, a man. He grinned as he asked the question, as if asking such a question to the two of them was not an invasion of privacy. John and Paul hadn't even known eachother for 24 hours, yet.

But John tried not to show his anger, keeping his mouth shut so that he did not visibly grit his teeth.

"Next question." Almost as soon as he had said it, another reporter spoke up.

"What will your Omega be wearing?" Another male Alpha asked John, and it wound him up that their did not ask this question to Paul. Maybe it would wake him up a little, as most, if not all, questions had been directed at John himself.

"I do not know... Why do you not ask him of what he wishes to wear?" His tone was rather harsh, though he tried to keep his cool.

"Oh... Of- Of course." The same press member spoke, and John lit a cigarette, nudging Paul sweetly to wake him up. "What will you be wearing, Omega?"

"Well... I- I..." His voice was small, rather shy. John didn't blame him. This was the first question he had been asked, and the entire room of Alpha's eyes were on him at that moment. The Omega did, however, let out a sweet chuckle, his admirable eyelashes fluttering as he eventually responded. "Well, I simply do not mind... maybe a crimson cloak... As my late mother wore."

"Did your mother's crimson cloak have a long train, Omega?" A female journalist requested to know, and suddenly, there were no eyes on John at all. No cameras facing John... Nothing.

The Alpha just sat and watched as the Omega next to him slowly woke up with each word asked, smiling as he did so.

"Yes. Oh, indeed it did." Paul giggled, sweetly. "The train was 20 ft long, and her vail was half that size." 

There was a gasp, and then a couple of forms chuckles.

"May I say, I'm sure your mother looked very beautiful in such a garment..." The same press member added, and other Alpha's agreed with her. Loud agreements were heard in the room, along with camera flashes, and Paul smiled wider.

"She did so." Paul smiled, nodding. He looked down, though to reminisce, and John figured that it was a good time to call off the interview.

The Alpha turned around, catching a smiling George Martin's eye and waved him over.

"That's enough. Thank you everyone." Martin announced through John's microphone, and with a few more camera clicks, the press agreed with the house chamberlain 

Thank you's were heard through the crowd, as they were lead out of the doors by palace guards.

-

John and Paul walked alone in the corridor, away from the main Quarters of the Palace and back to their own. The Omega's head was bowed, eyes facing the red carpet beneath his feet.

"You do not have to look down..." John couldn't help but speak, immediately apologetic when the boy next to him jumped. "Oh dear, I'm sorry..." The two came to a hault.

"Nono, it is fine, Al- John..." Paul shook his head, eyes still on the floor. He was clearly deep in thought, and John was terribly intrigued to know what had caught the boy's attention.

"What is the matter?"

"Nothing." Paul responded, though a smile was on his face. "Well, I just can not stop thinking about how much the journalists seemed to warm up to my presence..."

"They did, indeed." John smiled along with him, and Paul finally looked up at him. "Infact, it made me rather jealous." The Alpha joked, emitting a chuckle from Paul.

"And that comment about my mother... It made me incredibly happy..." Paul smiled once more. "Just to know that people who didn't even know her still think about her..."

"I guarantee they're right, you know?" John spoke, after a brief pause. "I bet she was beautiful on her wedding day..."

"She was. The star of the whole ordeal by far, John." Paul smiled. 

"My mother was too..." John added, thinking back to the white dress the woman had wore on the day of her own special day. He could vividly remember the diamond tiara on top of her head. Of course he had not been alive for her wedding, but there was a photo album he had been so lucky as to be able to view, and the diamond tiara was on display at his mother's castle. "She looked beautiful in every single photo..."

"Could I... Could I maybe me have a little look?" Paul asked, his gaze seeming rather scared to ask.

"Of- Of course you can." John beamed, glad the boy had asked. "I'm sure we have some photo's in the main library, actually... How about we go and view some?"

"I would love that." The Omega smiled.

The two of them really did get on well, and John was glad of Paul's company. He knew that the way they got together was not the best, how it had been arranged for them to marry and such... But even though John had only known the boy for a few hours, he could totally imagine wanting to date Paul if he saw him in a nightclub of some sort. The Omega was sweet and kind, and totally John's type. 

If anything was clear to him at this point, it was that he was to treat Paul with the respect he deserved. He hoped the press would do so too.


	10. Library

That afternoon, they had spent hours in the palace library, looking through old photo albums in a special bookshelf dedicated to royal weddings from the past. 

Paul hadn't been present in a library as large as this for atleast 5 years, however he and his mother used to spend hours in her own when he was little. She taught both him and Michael how to read and write, making sure he read almost every novel on the dusty shelves.

"My mother taught me to read..." Paul spoke, taking a single book of the shelf and blowing the dust from it. 

"Oh, really?" The Prince asked, seeming intrigued.

"Yes." The Omega smiled, before chuckling to himself. "Her favourite book by far was wuthering heights, by Em-"

"Emily Brontë." Paul paused, before tilting his head to stare at John.

"Yes... How did you...?"

"My mother, it was her favourite book, also. I'm sure we have it somewhere, infact." Paul watched with excited and intrigued eyes as John began to scan the shelves. John must have been searching intensely for atleast 15 minutes, but in the end it was no use. "10,000 books in this entire library, 279 under the letter 'B', and yet it is not here..." 

"It is okay..."

"No... I know we have it somewhere. My mother made sure we had a copy at every palace. One at her own, one at Victoria's..." It was at that point where his eyes lit up. "Goodness!"

"What is it?" Paul asked, growing rather concerned all of a sudden. 

"Victoria, my sister. I am ever so sure she has a copy, you know?" 

The Omega's eyes lit up.

"Oh, that's amazing!"

"And, the other good news is that we were due a visit to her anyway!" John smiled. "How about I schedule it for later this evening? We could have dinner with her and David... We could pick up the book too!”

Paul did feel like it would be a good opportunity to get to know the people who would be his future family. However, he was only just getting used to the rules of Aquitaine place. Victoria's palace was sure to have different rules, and Paul knew he was sure to slip up at some point.

However John was protective of him, Paul had learnt that much in the last 24 hours. He did not allow anybody to treat him like dirt, from ordinary press member, to his courtier... John wouldn't allow people at another house to treat him as such, would he?

Also, if John's sister was anything like him, she'd have just as kind of a heart as the Prince...

"That sounds great, John." He nodded, not wanting to seem disrespectful in any way. He'd caused John enough worry and probable stress, and so did not wish to cause any more.

"Perfect! I shall go and telephone her now. How about you call George and ask for him to dress you into your formalwear?" John suggested, and Paul nodded eagerly. 

There was no further conversation, instead, John left the room, leaving Paul alone in the maze of a library.

-

"Is he nice to you, sir?" George asked as the boy ironed Paul's dark blue waist coat.

Paul had taken a seat on his bed, and was stroking Pyramus, who lay over his legs. The cat was barely awake, and Paul found it incredibly adorable.

"Prince John?"

"Yes." George chuckled. "Of course I mean Prince John."

"Oh..." Paul chuckled back. "Well he treats me very well... He requested the press ask me questions, requested that his courtier refer to me as anything but 'Omega'... In fact the only reason that we are even going to this evening dinner with his sister on such short notice is because he wishes to collect a book for me."

"You have a good one there, sir." The Beta smiled, placing the iron on the side and picking up the Omega's waistcoat. "Come head."

The Omega lifted Pyramus off his lap, the cat meowing in dismay.

"Sorry..." Paul whispered to the animal, climbing off the bed and heading over to his large mirror, where the rest of his clothes rested. The iron had been moved out of the way by George, who was now bringing over a white blouse to be put over Paul's undershirt. "He is good to me..."

"You're lucky, sir. Not all Omega's end up with an Alpha like his highness, especially not royal ones."

"Indeed..." Paul allowed George to dress him as they chatted.

"However I know the rules are much different here regarding Omega's. Back in my own kingdom, Esther, they were much stricter..." The Beta sighed. "I lost my Omega sister to a heartless female Alpha. She requested to marry her, and my father stupidly said yes. It was a mistake, and now we have little contact with Louise whatsoever..."

"I'm sorry..." Paul frowned, sympathetically looking at the younger boy in the mirror. However George was solely concentrated on dressing Paul in the waistcoat he had spent lots of time ironing. 

"Don't be sorry. It isn't your fault. Laws will change soon, as long as people fight for them."

"Of course." Paul nodded. "Back in my hometown, people were starting to fight... From what my brother Michael informed me, after my mother passed, the way my father 'dealt' with me was not in the people's favour. Rightfully so... Rebel groups were being formed, and to be honest, looking back, I am rather greatful that he sent me away when he did..." 

"Indeed... And I'm awfully sorry for your mother's loss, sir." 

"Me too..." Paul sighed, a part of him still believing his fathers cruel words. He stepped into the black trousers, slowly.

"Why so?" George asked, curiously.

"Well... My Father... he seemed to blame the sudden death on my mother on my presentation as an Omega." Paul sighed, sadly. "I guess I don't really blame him, the timing definitely adds up." 

"Oh, sir..." The Beta paused what he was doing, Paul's blazer stilling in his hands. "Your mother's death was in no way your fault, just as who you presented as is not your fault. Do not let that... That _wicked_ man manipulate you into believing such a thing, as it is truly false."

Paul spent a few seconds staring at George, waiting for the boy to continue. But he did not, rather just stared at him with confident eyes. The Beta truly believed what he had just said.

"Really?"

"Yes. You can not die from such a thing, sir..." Paul held his arms out, George slipping the Omega's blue blazer over them. "I promise to you."

Paul let out a thankful and relieved sigh.

"Thank you, George..." He smiled, turning around. 

"No problem."

There was a sudden, rather unexpected, knock on the door. George immediately rushed over to it, pulling it open. When he saw the beta bow, he knew it was John.

"Your highness."

"George." John smiled, before walking past. 

The cat that had been lay on Paul's silk sheeted bed jumped up at the voice of his owner, and began ecstatically meowing. John laughed, and Paul joined in as he watched Pyramus jump off the bed and rush over to John's feet. He was picked up by John, and purred in the Prince's hold.

Why did Paul wish he was the cat at that moment?

"I shall just go and get your cloak, sir." George spoke to Paul, who nodded in return.

Suddenly, George retreated from the room, closing the white, wooden door behind him.

"You look nice." John smiled, standing in the same place and holding Pyramus like a baby. "You choose that outfit yourself, darling?"

_Darling._

"No. I believe the Chamberlain chose it."

"Martin?" 

"Yes... I- I believe so." Paul nodded. "Said that the Princess adores the colour blue."

"She does indeed. If she could paint the entirety of Gable Castle's exterior blue, she certainly would."

"Why can she not?" Paul asked, intrigued.

"Well, apart from the fact that the exterior is over 650 years old, as is a historical landmark, she is an Omega, and so would not be granted such permission by cabinet." 

John's older sister was an Omega?

But George Martin had talked about her with such respect, and he was an Alpha? He really did feel like he was in another planet, never mind Kingdom.

"I see..." 

George returned soon after, the navy blue cloak in his hands. But instead of dressing Paul in it himself, John took over the job.

Paul remembered staring speechlessly in the mirror as his fiancé dressed him ever so carefully, his hands draping the material over his shoulders like he was a delicate statue. It made Paul feel special, it really did.

George was right, he was ever so lucky to have John.


	11. Anything

The Rolls Royce made it's way swiftly down the road. Past the trees, past the flags of Aquitaine. There were 15 trees and flags that led up to the grand gates, each flag representing a kingdom that Aquitaine had won in its history. 

When John had been informed by Brian that the Omega's arrival the previous day may have been late because of the amount of crowds that had been present at the Airport for his landing, he did not really believe that most of those crowds actually existed. Although John should have trusted Brian, as his secretary, the information just did not sit right with the Prince.

But now, seeing all of the people and press members crowded around the gates, the Rolls Royce having to stop its engine until the police had cleared enough room for the gates to open, he knew he had underestimated Brian's words. If the same crowds were present at the airport as they were infront of the palace gates, then the courtier was more than correct.

"Paul... Just look at everyone!" John exclaimed, a wide grin in his face as the crowd finally started to move. The Prince waved to the many people waving flags infront of the palace, even though the blacked out windows meant they could not even see him. But he didn't care, he really felt connected with his people. "Paul, look-"

But Paul wasn't looking, rather just staring at the back of the headrest infront, a nervous expression on his face. The action from John's fiancé cut him off from his previous sentence immediately.

"Paul?"

"Yes, Alpha?"

John was taken aback by the boy's unnatural response, blinking in his direction. The car had passed finally the crowds, and John could only stare at Paul as he wondered whatever was the matter.

The Omega was perfectly fine a few minutes ago, allowing John to help him into the car and everything...

Had Paul began his heat?

No... No, if his heat had begun, John would be able to sense it. And Brian had informed him the Omega was to take heat suppressants for at least a month before and after the royal wedding.

"Whatever is the matter?" John placed a hand on Paul's arm, and the Omega flinched, turning to look at John immediately.

"I-I'm sorry..." 

"Sorry? Why should you be sorry, darling?" John asked, but he stayed quiet. "Paul, did somebody hit you...?"

Paul just stared at John, until his eyes fell upon the leather seat underneath him.

"He did nothing I didn't deserve. I did not obey his orders on my arrival, it was correct of him to do what he did..."

"And what did _he_ do?" John asked, caressing Paul's arm with his thumb. 

"Well he... He slapped me." His voice was timid, shy-like. 

The bruise he'd seen on the boy's face the day before, that was why it was there... Someone had hit him.

Sure, Mimi's orders were for Paul to be disciplined if he did not 'behave' on the journey. But the man who collected Paul was supposed to inform the Queen before any punishment ensured. John would not allow her to punish Paul, or any Omega in that instance, anyway, however the man was still supposed to deliver any news of misbehaviour to the Queen. Certainly not discipline the poor boy himself, and in no way by physical violence.

John would make sure the man who did that was punished himself.

"Paul, who was the Alpha who hit you?" John asked, seeming calm. However deep down the case was much the opposite. The Prince was angry at the man who'd hurt his Omega. "What was his name?"

"I- It was Jared. But I do not remember his surname." Paul whispered to the boy.

_Jared_ must have terrified the poor Omega, and certainly ruined the car journey for him.

"Okay." John nodded. "What he did to you will not be unnoticed, I assure you. This man will be let go from the Palace."

Paul's eyes widened.

"But he was only doing his job, no?"

"His job was not to harm you. It was to bring you here safely, and explain the rules of how you should address the Queen. What he did was certainly quite the opposite, Paul." John explained.

"Thank you..." Paul smiled back, his own hand placing itself on top of John's. 

"Anything for my Omega..."

-

John had been to visit his sister many times since he moved out, holding a close bond with the Princess Victoria. The woman loved partying, alcohol, and music, which was something John could get behind. He wouldn't be drinking a lot tonight, however needed at least a little to let loose and take his mind off the anger from what Paul had sent him.

The entrance to Gable Castle looked as stunning as ever, and John's smile widened at the thought of embracing his sister in a warm and loving hug once more. He really did miss her, he had done ever since she moved away. It just was not the same in the castle without her.

But now John had Paul, who he truly did adore a lot.

"It's beautiful." The Omega spoke, the two of them having just climbed out of the car. Paul was staring at the stone exterior with wide eyes. "Such an elegant building..."

"Yes..." John spoke, but with something else on his mind. "Paul?"

"Yes, John?" He turned his attention back to John.

"Just relax here, yes? There are not really any rules against Omega's that you do not already know." 

"Alright." Paul nodded, sending an ever so light smile John's way.

At that moment, the doors of the castle opened, Orange tunic-wearing guards bowing as The Alpha and The Omega stepped inside.

"John!" The woman called over to The Alpha, rushing over to him. She wore a long, light blue flowy evening dress. It was sleeveless, and just above her ankles (as Paul's own cape was), with a white fur jacket over her shoulders. "God I've missed you, brother!" She embraced the Prince in a tight hug.

"I've missed you too, Vicky." He hugged back, closing his eyes into the embrace.

Victoria and John were incredibly close when growing up. She was only a little bit older than him, and there was a rather short age gap, unlike his other sisters, who were seven years younger than the Prince. Victoria and John were taught by the same tutor, and so spent many hours entertaining each other throughout the boring hours of those school days.

"Oh, do introduce me..." The outgoing Omega pulled away from her brother, eyes turning to the rather stunned boy next to him.

"Ah yes, indeed." John nodded, exited to introduce the two. "Victoria, this is Paul. Paul, this is my sister, and the princess, Victoria." 

"How do you do?" She asked, extending a hand for Paul to shake.

"Fine, thank you." Paul responded, his voice rather timid and shy. "And you?"

"Oh, very well, indeed." She smiled, before turning to her left. "David, do come over!" She called to the man a few steps back, who was receiving something from a female servant.

"One minute, dear."

"He's fine, just shy." Victoria shook her head. "Anyways, you both look very smart."

"I- I love your dress..." Paul spoke, and John could see him studying it closely. "It is a lovely colour..."

"Why... Why thank you, my dear..."

"Whatever is going on here?" A male voice tuned in, David's of course. His tone was confident and playful. "I hope nobody is trying to flirt with my dear wife here."

The other Alpha slipped his hand around Victoria's waist with a chuckle, and the woman gave him a playful slap on the shoulder.

"Oh do behave, David." She grinned. "Give Paul that book, as I am assuming that is what Gina gave to you."

"Oh yes, certainly." David used his free hand to give the book to Paul. It was in charming condition, a purple leatherback making sure that it was no sufferer to any damage at all. "Here you go, Paul."

"Wuthering Heights..." Paul whispered in disbelief.

"Yes. You do not think we would have forgotten, surely." Victoria laughed, sweetly.

"No no, of course not." The shyness had gone from the Omega almost immediately, replaced with a fond happiness. "Oh thank you.. Thank you so much..."

"You're very welcome." David spoke.

Paul looked over to John with excited eyes, like he was a little boy who'd just won a teddy bear from a fair ride. It was sweet, and John couldn't help but give him a cheeky smile back, along with a secretive wink.

"Anyway, do come on, boys..." The Princess stayed, beginning to walk away. The three men followed after her, Paul keeping the book tightly in his grasp. "We have the entire dining hall set up in honour of the new Omega consort."

"Extra champagne for the wedding too, I hope." John joked, knowing how much Victoria and David loved a good drink or two.

"Why certainly!" She exclaimed, pretending to be offended. "It would not be one of Princess Victoria's splendid evening dinner's if there was no alcohol present..."

Even Paul couldn't hold back a giggle.


	12. Mysterious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates... I’ve lost my mind recently 😅

The evening really was amazing.

The four of them had spent the evening in the grand dining room, eating rich food and sipping expensive wine. He had not had a meal like so in a long while, he wasn't even too hungry back at Aquitaine Palace. And at Rotherham castle, he was lucky if he got anything other than scraps. Though Mike would often sneak him some ice cream or brownies.

At one point, they had began to dance. Victoria had The Twist on the record player, and was even teaching John and Paul how to dance like so. Paul honestly had not expected to have such freedom, but he did. Even though the princess was an Omega, it certainly did not seem like that affected her at all. If John had not informed him of so, Paul would have definitely thought she was a Beta at the least.

It was extraordinary.

Paul did not feel like having alcohol, he'd never been allowed back at Rotherham and he didn't feel like starting right now. Even though it was something he was rather glad of not being able to do, he was nowhere near as glad as he was about not smoking. That habit was a bad one, he'd seen it kill many people over time.

However, a drink would be nice at some point.

John didn't drink either, and, even though by the time they were leaving the castle, they were not drunk, they just incredibly very hyper.

The Alpha and The Omega stumbled back into the Palace, laughing in hysterics at eachother. Paul was leant on John's shoulder, chuckling away.

"Your Majesty?" A rather confused and concerned voice spoke. John turned to his side, only to see Brian stood there, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"What is it Brian?" John rolled his eyes. "It's like you're stalking me." Paul couldn't help but snicker, and suddenly the echoey room was full of laughter once more.

However Brian was not laughing. 

"Sir, I think we should get you and the Omega to bed-"

"Look, Brian." John stopped the laughing for a few moments. "If we wanted your opinion... We would have bloody well asked for it." Another snicker came from the Omega. John wrapped his arm around the man, laughing too, leading him towards the grand stairs, leaving a stunned Brian behind.

-

On the way to their room, the corridors echoed with hysterical laughter. Few servants roamed the Palace's halls at this time, it was almost midnight, however those who did were certain to raise a confused brow at the boy's behaviour along with their bowing to John.

The whole trip had excited Paul, who could not wait to remove the outfit he was wearing and climb into his pyjamas. Though he feared that it would be difficult on his own, as he'd told George not to wait up for him. 

John could help.

But would that be awkward?

Paul's thoughts were interrupted by a Yelp from beside him. John had tripped over his own feet, luckily managing to stay upright thanks to his grip on Paul's long, blue cape. The two boy's began to snicker again, Paul mostly forgetting what he'd thought about previously.

In no time, they had reached the door to the drawing room that separated their private bedrooms, and John practically fell through the damned thing. Obviously, Paul couldn't help but hurt into inhumane laughter at the sight of the Prince, trying to stand up properly.

"Come head." John grinned, nodding for The Omega to follow after him.

As soon as Paul entered the room, he gasped at the sight infront of him. Where the old table and chairs once were, now stood a grand piano. However it was not any grand piano, it was his own, the gift from Mike.

"Christ!" John called out, not taking his eyes away from the instrument as he closed the door behind them. "Wherever did that come from?"

"It's my piano, that my brother gifted to me for my 17th... Atleast, I think it was my 17th, I kind of lost sense of time whilst I was locked behind those walls." Paul explained, before swiftly heading over to it. "However it was packed away a week ago, I wonder how it took so long to arrive. In all honesty, I found myself believing I was never to see it again."

"It's beautiful... It fits in the middle of this room perfectly, Macca." At the unexpected name, Paul's eyes shifted from the black and white keys, and over to his fiancé. The Omega tilted his head in pure confusion. "Macca. McCartney?"

"Oh." Paul eventually laughed.

"Do you like the nickname?"

"I-I do, John..." He nodded, one hand still hovering above the polished keys. The whole piano seemed newer than it did when he last laid eyes on the thing.

"Good." The Prince smiled, flashing his white teeth. "Go head then, Macca. Will you be so kind as to play me a song?" 

"I..." He gazed back over to his piano. "Why not? It's here for a reason, is it not?"

"It certainly is." John grinned.

Once Paul had taken his position on the purple velvet seat, he was shocked when he also felt John's presence beside him. The older' Shane rested on The Omega's shoulder, as he began to play.

The Omega played a song he had been working on back at his own chambers at Rotherham, a jazz piece, which he adored to constantly play knowing that jazz was his Father's least favourite genre. It brought him so much happiness to be able to mock his father, even if his father was not aware he was doing so.

But the song sounded differed, as if a note was flat. John was not experienced with piano's, that was clear with the way the Alpha stared at Paul's dancing fingers in awe, and so he would not have noticed the difference in how it once sounded. Paul's playing came to an abrupt stop, an unsupported noise falling from John's mouth.

"Why ever did you stop? That was fantastic!"

Paul glared at the keys, a brow raised as he tried to think what was wrong. Without a response to the boy next to him, he started pressing his index finger singularly on each note. John stayed quiet, wondering whatever was wrong with his Omega.

When he reached to middle c, it did not sound right at all. It appeared to sound like a g, and Paul knew that was not correct.

"Ah!" He grinned, knowing he'd found the outcasted note. "Middle c..."

"Middle c?"

"Yes. It's incorrect, and sounds more like a g." Paul stated, as it if was obvious.

"Oh."

"It was not like this a week ago..." He frowned, pressing the note down once more. "It was perfectly fine."

"Do you want me to get somebody to have a look at it? Just to see what's wrong with it?"

As much as Paul wanted to say yes, he couldn't. It was midnight, and unfair to wake anyone.

"No... No, it's late. There is no point waking anyone, it's not fair."

"Look Paul, they work for me. I can get a caretaker to take the back off and... Well, fix it." John reassured him, and even though Paul looked unsure. "I'll just go and call the caretaker."

As John went to stand up, Paul took him by the wrist. 

"Wait!" He called after the Alpha,

"Hm?" 

"Are you sure they won't mind?"

"Yes." John laughed, shaking his head fondly. "Not at all."

-

The repair man came in around 15 minutes later, finding both of the boys in a... Questionable position. 

Paul was standing with no clothes, apart from his underwear, on. John was positioned on the floor, arse high up in the air as he untied the Omega's shoelace. It had been the most embarrassed Paul had been in a while, but he did find it rather hilarious that the repair man had to walk in at that very moment. The Prince had the made the man stand outside whilst Paul finished getting changed, and called him in once they had finished.

Right now, both John and Paul were sat patiently as they watched the man take the top and back of the grand piano off.

"Middle C, you say?" He asked, staring intensely at the hammers inside.

"Yes..." Paul responded. 

"Ah, indeed... I see the problem..." The man spoke, shifting closer and reaching inside. "There is some sort of... Paper?"

"Paper...?"

"Indeed." Paul stood up at that, he needed to see what the man was on about. And the man was correct, there was paper jammed inside. "That wasn't there before, no?"

"No..." Paul shook his head, reaching inside.

He pulled the paper out, noticing that it wasn't just any random piece of paper, it was an irregular envelope. At the sight of the mysterious object that had been wedged into his own, valuable piano, his eyes studied it closely. A line of dark red paint had been painted across the envelope, a strip of dark blue next to it.

“It have come from Rotherham... Those colours- They are the ones on our flag...” Paul spoke.


	13. Missed you

_My Dear Brother,_

_I wish I could have delivered this letter to you sooner, but every time I tried, my plan was sieged. Father has forbidden me any contact, however I will not stand for it. He will not make my decisions for me, most certainly not._

_I had my courtier to find me a new, secret, telephone number, which he did so perfectly._

_Telephone- 6542 8647_

_Please call on a private line, I have a lot I must inform you of, brother._

_Your loving brother, Mike_

-

Paul silently read the letter, his eyes re-reading it. He honestly could not believe what he was reading. His brother was willing to defy his father's orders, just to stay in contact with his older, useless Omega brother?

His eyes watered up.

John's hand had suddenly appeared in the younger boy's back, helping him into his feet as Paul's eye's continued to re-read the letter. The Alpha whispered something to the repair man, however Paul did not hear. His ears were ringing with confusion.

The next thing he knew, he was stood in his own bedroom, John standing worriedly next to him.

"Whatever was it, Macca?" Paul seemed to snap out of his trance at the nickname.

"It... It was my brother." He responded, quietly.

"My God. Is he alright?" John was clearly worried, probably thinking Mike had died or something.

"Yes, yes. He is perfectly fine... So I predict, anyway." Paul explained, still slightly in shock. "It's just... He told me that he was going to defy our father's orders, and stay in contact with me... The letter contains his phone number..."

A wave of relief flushed over John's pale face, colour coming back to his cheeks. 

"That's- Well that's brilliant! What are you waiting for? Why don't you call him now?"

"John, it's 12am... For the last time..." He groaned, immediately regretting the sarcastic comment as soon as he said it. At this point he was taking advantage of the freedom John had given him, there was simply no need for Paul to act so sarcastic. "I'm sorry."

"Please do not apologise." John laughed, fondly. "I do understand. It's ever so late... But I'm sure your brother will sleep better once he has heard your reassuring voice."

Maybe John was right. And it may even calm Paul down too.

So without another word, Paul just nodded, slowly making his way over to the wooden bedside table withered the telephone lay. He stared at the black telephone for a while, gazing at the object like it was about to jump up and bite him.

"Paul?" 

"Hm?" He shot his head around to John.

"I am just going to remove my attire... I will knock before I come in incase you and Michael are talking." The Prince smiled, and Paul nodded.

"Thank you, John."

The Alpha gave a charming smile, before exiting the room, leaving Paul to stare at the telephone once more.

It was a good 2 minutes before Paul actually picked up the phone, and a further 30 seconds before Paul dAnG through to the control room.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Omega consort here. Please may I request a private line?" 

For a few seconds, he was scared that they would refuse. He cursed his past self for saying who he was. Why would they grant an Omega a private line?

"Two seconds, Omega." The line began to beep, and Paul stood in even more shock.

Deep down he knew this was John's doing.

"Sending you to a private line, Omega." Before Paul could respond, the operator had gone.

The Omega's right hand trembled as he dialled the number Mike had left for him, holding the letter in his left hand, and holding the telephone to his ear in-between both his head and shoulder. His bottom lip was almost bleeding from being nibbled at, and he was sweating.

Then the telephone began to ring again, and all Paul could do was stand there, helplessly, as he waited to see if his brother would pick up his own telephone. 

And he did.

"Hello?" A groggy voice spoke, and Paul's eyes widened. Mike had actually answered.

"Mike! Mike... Oh my Goodness!" He stumbled out, a genuine excited smile on his lips.

"Paul?" The voice was no longer tired and confused, it was now also excited. "Oh, my dear brother... You do not know how relieved I am to hear your voice..."

"Oh Mike... I can't believe I'm hearing yours either." They both laughed, and Paul could feel the tears appear in his eyes. "I- I got your letter."

"Clearly." Mike laughed.

"It was a clever place to hide it..." 

"Why, thank you, Detective McCartney." The younger brother joked.

"Though I must admit, I did wonder where my piano had gotten to. They took it away from me almost a week ago." Paul informed the boy, hoping for some answers.

"Well, you see... As it was once of the largest things to travel, it was not on their list of priorities. However I insisted that you needed your piano, not just because I knew you adored it so, but because I had managed to slip the note in just before I gave my orders... I was sort of lucky it had not been shipped, though, otherwise we would not be speaking right now..." 

"Indeed." Paul sighed, remembering what Mike had told him for his father. "You said father would not allow you contact."

Mike sighed, ever so sadly. "I'm afraid so."

"Mike... Why are you defying our father for me?" He asked, genuinely confused. He just wished to know why, all of a sudden, he felt like people actually wanted him.

"Because father is an evil man, Paul. His intentions are that of a menace. What he has put you through... It is unforgivable. And I am not the only one who thinks this."

"Whatever do you mean?" Paul asked, his eyebrow raised though Mike could not see him. "Who else thinks this?"

"The people of Rotherham..." The Omega fell silent. "They can not stand father, Paul. And this is not anything new, either. Ever since they discovered what father was doing to you, they turned on him. They feel they have been deceived by their king."

" _G-Goodness..._ ”

"On my trip around the kingdom, a few years back, I met these people in person. Father figured it would be a great idea for my people to get to know me... However what I actually ended up doing is getting to know the people, and how much they despise father." Mike explained. Paul could barely believe what he was hearing, until he remembered Mike explaining something like this to him before. "I had Alpha's and Beta's, as well as Omega's, coming up to me and crying. They felt awful for what father was putting you through..."

"Oh... Michael..."

"They made me understand what father was. Who who he was..." Mike spoke. "No decent father puts their child through what you went through, Paul. Not even if they are an Omega."

Not only did Michael despise what their father had done, but the people of Rotherham did too... They hated what Paul had been through, they pitied him. Knowing that fact made Paul happy that not everyone back home hated him, infact quite the opposite.

Though the title 'prison' seemed more fitting than 'home'.

"And this leads me onto my next point, another thing I feel I must inform you of." With that sentence, Mike seemed more nervous.

"What is it?"

"A man was caught trying to break into the castle..." Mike spoke. 

Paul was relieved to hear that, firstly thinking that something very bad had occurred. He honestly could not help holding back a laugh.

"That is all?"

"Not exactly." Oh. "The man didn't just break in casually... Oh no... When they arrested him, they found not only two guns, but a tattoo on his left shoulder. It was a symbol of a peace sign, however with a dark blue background and dark red dripping underneath, like blood! The police believe that the man is part of a revolutionary group though he will not speak up..."

"Good Lord..."

Mike's point was serious. This man was most likely part of an extremist group, it would only make sense. He was caught with two guns, and had a symbol on his shoulder.

"Exactly what my words were..." Mike spoke. "If they hadn't have caught him, God knows whatever could have happened to father..."

"But not to you, right?"

"I shouldn't think so... The papers like me... They describe me as 'Rotherham's only hope'."

"That's settling to hear." Paul sighed in relief.

"Exactly."

Paul took a few seconds to believe. 

"Blimey... I have only been gone for little as three days, and there's already anarchy in the kingdom." Paul joked, through something told Paul that it wasn't actually a joke. 

Mike seemed to feel the same way, as he also fell deadly silent. Until he spoke once more.

"Paul... What if- what if you're right?" He stuttered out, a new wave of anxiety being hard in his voice. "Oh good lord... What if we have to flee, Paul?" Mike was panicking. "I'll have nowhere to go!"

"Mike... Oh my dear, please do calm down..." Paul sighed, wishing he could just take his brother in his arms and rock him to sleep once more, humming a light tune to calm his nerves. Indeed all he could to was try and convince him something Paul himself was not sure of. "You say the public like you?"

"Yeah..."

"Then surely you do not have anything to fear... It is father who must fear, no?"

"Well, yes... Yes... But- But they once adored father, just as they adore me now... They could turn on me so quickly... I am a descendant of him, am I not?" Mike's panic was getting worse.

"Oh Mikey..." But Paul could hear his breath quicken. "Take deep breaths, Mikey... Deep breaths."

"I can't..."

"You can..."

"No..."

"For me?" Paul tried, desperately.

Mike began to try and calm his breathing, as Paul could hear him breathing in steps. While Mike did just that, another part of Paul's mind was trying to come up with a solution to Mike's problem.

He thought about how he was lucky to be safe right now in Aquitaine, as from what he had seen, the people in this kingdom adored him. He was so lucky here... All of the people waving at him.

All Paul had to do was step out of a plane in the place, and the citizens cheered for him. They seemed to accept him.

Wait a minute-

"Mike!"

"What?" Mike breathed out, heavily.

"I have an idea!" Paul proudly stated, a charming smile on his face.

"Oh please tell me, please calm my nerves, Paulie..."

"My wedding day... It's in a few days, right?" Mike hummed in agreement. "Well... Maybe that would be a good opportunity for the people of Aquitaine to not only greet me, but greet you, too?"

There was a short few seconds of more silence.

"And if worse comes to worse back at... _home_... Then you will be able to stay here. The people will not object!"

"So... Wait. Whatever are you suggesting, brother?"

"Mike... Will you please walk me down the aisle?"


	14. Unruly

That night, Paul had slept like a baby. He'd said his good nights to his dear fiancé, bowing to himself that he would ask John if Mike was able to give him away in the morning. But knowing that his brother was safe, John was practically next door and his piano was fixed all meant that he could sleep heavenly.

He dreamed of clouds that were cherry coloured, and pink skies, where if it rained it only rained love hearts. Everyone lived up in the clouds, and everyone was at peace, in love and overall... Happy. He was floating, and John was floating with him-

A knock on the door was what had woken the Omega from his beyond pleasant dream. And even though the disturbance should have made him groggy and annoyed, his mood was too contented for a maid with an irritating and loud hoover to ruin it. A hoover so loud that Paul deemed it necessary to move from his own room and into the drawing room, away from his bedroom.

The first thing he noticed was George, stood infront of the radio, his head tilted to the side. He clearly had not yet noticed the young Omega, too wrapped up in what he was listening too.

_"He seems like a really lovely person, you know?"_ A cheerful female voice spoke. _"I'd marry him myself."_ She laughed, hesitant but genuinely.

_"Well at first I thought he was rather too... Rotherhamian, yknow?"_ The person laughed fondly in a deep voice, most likely a male Alpha. _"But then he waved back to me and my young daughter from his car, and he actually seemed like a lovely fellow!"_

"George, what is this?" Paul asked, and George jumped. 

His head turned round immediately, and he giddily bowed to Paul, something the Omega's was beginning to get used to.

"Come over here, sir." He beckoned Paul over, his fang-like teeth showing as he smiled. "Oh, come listen!"

Paul did just that, rushing over to George and standing next to him infront of the radio.

_"...And I just love him! He was so genuine and sweet in that interview, I don't see how anyone who watched it could not like him!"_

"George, who are they talking about?" Paul asked, but beyond the shock, Paul knew it was himself.

"You, sir."

_"I think he will be a great addition to our royal family, I honestly do."_ The voice of an old lady spoke. _"It's about time we had someone who seems as down to earth as him in charge of this Kingdom again..."_

There was a a slight static sound on the radio, before music began playing int he background of another man talking. 

_”There we have it folks! Everybody seems to like the new addition to the royal family so far. And honestly, who can blame them? Don't forget, you can send in your opinions at the number: 2245 5221!"_ The music became louder, and the man stopped talking.

Paul laughed in disbelief.

"Oh my..." He whispered out. "Did you... Did you hear that, George?!" He exclaimed.

"I certainly did, sir! They're already doting on you." He smiled, sweetly. "How great is that?!"

"That's... You have no idea."

One thing was for sure, the people _definitely_ adored Paul. That was a huge step in the correct direction... However, whether they would like Mike was a different story, and he was yet to ask John about the matter.

"George?"

"Yes, sir?" The beta responded.

"Do you know where the Prince is?"

George laughed, nodding. "Of course, I came in here to wake him up, actually. However the only thing that will wake him is an earthquake."

"Oh." Paul smiled.

"He should come around soon, I'm certain of it." George smiled, sweetly, before switching the radio off. "Anyway, how does it feel to be the people's favourite royal?"

"Well... I'm mostly filled with shock." The Beta nodded. "I really am treated so much better here than I was back at... Home. I even hate calling it that." 

"I understand. It must be hard being an Omega."

"I guess... Though other Omega's have gone through way worse than myself. I was just locked in a room for three years, I wasn't shamed in the street or physically abused in my own home." Paul explained. "Infact, I had it easy compared to what most Omega's go though... Or at least what the majority used to go through..." 

"You still had it hard, sir. I could not imagine a life locked away inside of four walls..."

George was right, and if Paul was getting to know something about the Beta, it was that he was right the majority of the time. However before Paul could confirm George's point, there was a knock on the door. The Omega wrapped his dressing gown around his waist tighter, and George rushed over to open it.

"George?" There was a voice.

"Ah, Stuart..." George spoke. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you... Is his highness awake?"

"Not yet I'm afraid... But please do enter..." George stepped back, allowing the other Beta to walk in. "Oh, Stuart, this is P- The Omega consort."

For a few short seconds, Stuart awkwardly stood there staring at Paul, until he excused himself from the uncomfortable situation, heading over to the doors to John's bedroom. He never actually greeted them, instead just walked on, closing John's bedroom door behind him.

"Odd fellow..." George spoke, staring in confusion at the door Stuart had just passed through. "I-"

Before he could speak another word, there was another knock on the door. George couldn't help a frustrated groan, shaking his head and heading back over to the door.

His posture soon straightened when he opened it to see the Queen stood there.

"Y-Your majesty..." George spoke, bowing hesitantly.

"Never mind that... Is the Omega in here with you?"

Fear penetrated Paul's body. He wanted desperately for George to lie and say that he was not, but it would be obvious that was false. The last thing he wanted to do was get George in trouble. But unsurprisingly, he didn't much wish for getting in trouble himself. 

Why else would Mimi journey all the way to the other end of the Palace if he was not in trouble?

"Yes, ma'am."

"I wish to see him... Is he proper?" Her voice was heavily uptight.

"No, ma'am. The Omega has just woken up." 

He could see George cringe at how he had addressed Paul, but there was little he could do.

"Well then please make him presentable. I wish to have breakfast with him, just to discuss some things." She spoke, and George just sort of stood there, still rather in shock. "Go on then. Make sure he is ready!"

"Of course, your highness..." He nodded eagerly.

"I want him in the main dining room in no little than half an hour, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." 

"Good." With that, George eagerly closed the door.

"George! Oh God, George!" Paul whisper shouted. "Whatever am I to do?"

"It- It will be fine..." The beta turned around, rushing straight back over to the almost sweating Omega. "From what I heard, she isn't actully as bad as people make her out to be..."

George was clearly just trying to calm Paul.

"But... What will I wear?" He panicked. "Half an hour, George! We must hurry."

The Omega rushed back into his room, closely followed by an also stressed Beta. 

"Paul... Please do calm down..." He sighed, and Paul froze, George heading over to his wardrobe. "We will just choose something. Here, come and look."

"Alright."

-

The next ten minutes were not easy. Paul owned little clothes, only three outfits of which that were formal wear. An orange suit, a mint green suit and tie or the blue one he had worn the day before, that was in dry cleaning.

In the end, he had settled with a casual brown and peach flowery blouse, with long beige pants and flat, black shoes. George promised him that they would go shopping soon enough, as well as trying to reassure the shaking Omega that Mimi would not kill him.

But the fear would not settle.

They walked down the halls, Paul obediently following three steps after the Beta. He was desperately trying to remember what was expected of him in the palace, and how he was to act around the Queen. How he should bow and kneel, as well as never interrupt her. He was incredibly stressed. 

They reached the doors to the dining room in no time, George giving Paul a reassuring smile as he could sense his nerves. But the only thing that would calm him down at that moment would be if John would stop this whole charade.

His wishes were not granted, the Orange dressed soldiers pulling open the grand, gold-coated doors. Paul's head remained bowed to the ground, as he entered obnoxiously large room.

"Omega." Mimi, who was stood very dominantly in the middle of the room, spoke. Paul remembered that was his queue to kneel, which he did so.

"Your majesty." A few seconds on the floor with his head still bowed, and Paul rose to his feet once more. 

"Ah, so you atleast remember how to bow..." Paul did not respond, he was not asked to. But the remark had given him an idea of what Mimi was going to discuss with him. "Look up." He looked up.

She was wearing a light orange flare dress, a darker orange cardigan over her shoulders. She had a very light toned foundation on, white eyeshadow and flicked, black eyeliner. Her brown hair was styled into a victory roll updo, parted in the middle. Not to mention the stunning white pearls she wore around her neck.

However her attitude was nowhere near as stunning as her outfit.

"Do sit across from me, Omega." 

"Yes, ma'am."

She headed over to a seat in the middle of the long table, where there were two plates lay out, full of eggs, toast and bacon. Paul did as he was told, not taking a seat until she had taken hers. She was not only an Alpha, she was the Queen. The most powerful Alpha in the kingdom, after all.

"You know, back in my day, Omegas were not permitted to sit anywhere but on the floor when they were called to dinner." She said simply as Paul sat on the cushioned wooden chair, looking aimlessly at her food as she ate. 

"Really, Ma'am?"

"Oh yes." She nodded. "Do begin eating."

Even though he was incredibly confused, Paul did not want to mess around with her. She was very intimating, and Paul guesses she could turn very nasty _very_ quick, if necessary. So he began to eat.

"I suppose you wonder why you are here, yes?" 

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well..." She took a napkin, dabbing it around her mouth before she spoke with a false smile. "I have heard some... rumours... About your behaviour around the palace. Of course, I don't often pay rumours much attention, however when the same rumours fall from a senior member of staff's mouth, to my very ears, I am obliged to do something. Do you not think?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." He tried to hide his hesitation, but he couldn't do so.

"Now, look..." She sighed. "I do not wish to force these Omega based rules upon you, you do understand."

"I do, ma'am."

"However, you must remember who you are. What your status it... You are an Omega... It does not matter if the press think of you as a ray of sunshine... In my palace, these rules and expectations are to be followed. Or I must take further action."

Further action?!

"I will not have _unruly_ Omega's on my premises... Do you understand, Omega?"

At first he stiffly nodded, before cursing himself.

"Yes, your highness."

"Good..." She nodded, the false smile returning to her lips. "Now, continue with your meal."

The rest of that breakfast consisted of Paul wondering why he had been so foolish as to get to comfortable so soon in this foreign land.

How stupid of him.


	15. Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGEEEE

For the remainder of that morning, Paul did not leave his bedroom. He refused to allow anyone to enter, telling them to leave him alone if they tried. Even John was not allowed access.

John was terribly concerned, knocking on the door in the empty room, wondering whatever was wrong with his fiancé. He had been perfectly fine the night before, over the moon, to be honest! He sat in the drawing room, trying to think what possibly could have happened in the time he was asleep, but nothing came to mind.

Perhaps the phone call with Mike made him feel rather homesick...

John just wasn’t sure.

There was a knock on the drawing room door, and John had an idea of who it was.

"Come in, George." John sighed, however when the door opened, George was not there.

"Your highness?" George rarely called him that. 

"Stuart?" When he turned around, Stuart was indeed stood there, a pile of clothes lay in his arms.

"I have your dry cleaning here, your clothes from last night, sir?" 

"Ah, yes..." He nodded. "Yes, just put them in my wardrobe, Stuart..." The Alpha sighed, and the young Beta nodded.

John watched Stuart closely, as he made his way into John's bedroom, wondering if Stuart would know why Paul was like this. Probably unlikely, but he guessed he wouldn't know until he asked.

"Stuart?" He called.

"Y-Yes sir...?" The frail, skinny teenager appeared in the doorframe close after.

"Do you have any idea why Paul will not leave his bedroom?" He expected a no, but the answer he got was quite different.

"Oh goodness..." The courtier muttered, and more worry sprung upon John.

"Hold on there... Whatever do you mean, Stuart?" 

"Well... I spoke to George before, as I was collecting your dry cleaning. He looked rather worried, almost spooked, and so I felt I had to ask him what was wrong..." Stuart explained, talking to John as if he was a schoolboy who was being scolded for misbehaving. "And he said he had just led the O- Paul, to the main dining room, to have breakfast with the Queen."

Anger spread through John's body. He knew that he originally had wanted Mimi to introduce herself to Paul, however the woman had clearly done more than just introduce herself. Why else would Paul have locked himself in his room, telling John to leave him alone? 

She had upset poor Paul, and for that, John was going to have a good word with her.

"Stuart... May you do me a favour?" John asked.

"Yes... Yes of course, your highness." He nodded, immediately.

"Will you stay here with Paul, just incase he comes round whilst I'm not here? I don't wish for him to be alone if he does decide to leave." John explained, knowing that Stuart would say yes. It was his duty to say yes.

"Of course, sir. I shall remain here until you return."

"Thank you." John smiled, patting the lad on the shoulder, before speeding towards the door.

His face was filled with anger and annoyance as he made his way down the halls. He ignored every servant that greeted him, not even sending a glance or a smile in their way like he usually did. His chest felt on fire with fury.

Mimi would not mess with Paul again, not if John could stop her.

-

"Martin!" He called to the man who he had great fully spotted in the corridor. Martin froze, turning around in confusion.

"Your highness." The chamberlain bowed.

"Do you know where the Queen is?" John asked, his speech rather fast.

"Why yes I do... I saw her around two minutes ago, there was a car waiting outside to take her to the tennis courts."

John had to catch her.

"Was she getting in it?" John rushed out, eager for an answer.

"Well... No... If you run, you may catch her before she leaves, your highness." He explained, a rather confused expression on his face.

John just shot him a thankful look, before rushing past him, his feet picking up speed. Before he knew it, he was running like an Olympic champion down the halls, praying that he would not miss her.

Luckily, as he rushed down the grand stairs, he caught her. She was making her way towards the main doors, followed closely by two of her ladies-in-waiting.

"Mimi!" He shouted down to her, not even scared that he may trip over his own feet if he continued to rush at such a speed down the steps.

"John?" She called back up to him, sounding ever so confused. But John knew it was an act, she knew exactly what she had done. She was waiting at the door when he finally reached her. "Oh do hurry up, I'm already running late."

"Good." He glared at her, and her facial expression changed dramatically. Her eyebrows shot up, and her mouth fell open.

"John, whatever has gotten to you?" She asked, appalled.

"You know exactly what."

"I'm afraid I do not." The Queen nervously chuckled, and John's gaze grew harsher.

"I will only tell you once, if you think that you can get away with scarring Paul over something he can not control, then you are deeply wrong, Mimi." John threatened, but it seemed to do nothing.

"And I will only tell _you_ once more. Your fiancé is an Omega. Do you understand me?" There was now a sour look on the Queen's face, different to how she had acted just a few seconds ago.

"He is still a person, Mimi. A person who is ever so kind and sweet... Why should he be restricted, just because of his status?"

"I'll tell you why." She clenched her teeth. "Because nobody has a place in overthrowing the monarch in popularity. Especially not an Omega..."

Of course that was Mimi's defence. She was jealous, jealous because the people of her kingdom were already favouring someone else who wasn't her.

"Are you really trying to stop someone from being happy because of your jealousy, Mimi?"

"No I am not! I am not _jealous_. Why-ever would I be jealous?!"

"Because you don't like how much the crowds adore Paul. You don't like how suddenly you're not the most talked about person in the press!" He argued.

She fell silent, a false sadness appearing in her eyes:

"You know, when I had that conversation with you the other day about how you should treat your Omega, there was a part of me that thought you just might have listened..." Her voice was low, and she was clearly trying to guilt trip John. "That you would have realised you could not treat your Omega the way you want to."

"Oh don't try and guilt trip me, Mimi..." But he was ignored.

"...And then Brian came to me this morning and told me how the two of you had behaved last night, and I knew I should not have had my hopes up for such a thing..." She sighed.

Brian.

Of course it was Brian... The Queen's little helper. The courtier who had first been looking after John, but who got moved away as Martin feared he was getting a /little/ too attached to the Prince. 

"I can't believe you, Mimi..." John shook his head. "After everything you went through with uncle George."

Her gaze became threatening once more.

"I swear if you speak of him in such a way once more, you will regret it so much, boy!"

Before John could respond, the palace doors opened, and the Queen's body guard appeared. 

"We are ready for you, your majesty." The man spoke.

"Indeed..." 

And without another word, fury still present in her expression, she turned away from her nephew, finally making her way to the door. John didn't care that she had just left, he couldn't bare speaking to her for any longer.

But there was somebody else that John knew he had to speak with.

-

Brian's office was in the main quarters of the palace, and it was located in the same place as many of the other offices, and was a busy area. Members of the royal family barely headed towards that part of the palace.

When he reached the door that said 'Brian Epstein', he didn't even bother knocking, and just walked straight in. 

"Brian?" He called, looking up to see the Alpha on the phone, with a shocked expression at the sight of John. 

_"Yeah, I must go. See you later, darling..."_ With that, Brian slammed the phone back into the holder, before raising to his feet. "Your highness..."

"Brian... Since when did you think it your business to document my fiancé and I's private life to the Queen?" John accused, skipping past the bullshit and getting straight to the point.

But Brian just looked puzzled.

"Sir... Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean that I do not appreciate you sharing information about how Paul and I spend our time to anybody, certainly not Mimi..." 

"I don't understand... I have never done such a thing." Brian defended himself, and even though John was desperately looking for signs that the Alpha infront of him was lying, however it seemed unlikely. He looked genuinely confused. "How did you get hold of this information, sir?"

"Paul refuses to leave his bedroom after being spoken to so horribly by the Queen, after somebody reported that he is not acting 'obedient' to his Alpha partner... She mentioned your name." John explained, and Brian's face remained in shock.

It would make sense for him to be the one to report Paul, as Brian was also jealous. But he was not jealous of Paul's fame, he was jealous of the fact that Paul was able to show affection to John. Brian had been excused from his job as the prince's courtier because of rumours that Brian admired John rather too much, and so Brian reporting Paul because he was jealous would make so much sense...

"Sir... I don't know what the Queen has told you. Now I do not wish to convict her of being a liar, but I never said such things to her. All I did was ask her if she had seen the amount of news coverage that the media was producing on Paul, and how much they loved him already. You must have seen the newspaper headlines from this morning, sir..." 

"Newspaper headlines?" John questioned, and Brian grabbed something off the desk, beckoning John over.

"Aye. Read this, your highness."

_'Most famous Omega ever in the Kingdom?'_ Read the newspaper headline, and John took the newspaper from Brian in order to read the front cover of the Aquitaine Daily.

It read how much the people were already getting to love the Omega Prince, and how sweet and kind he was. They also spoke about how people all over the kingdom in schools and homes were getting ever so exited for the wedding, having school or street parties to prepare.

However the real part that stood out to John was a part that specified how 'the new Omega consort' may be better than 'the last Omega consort', meaning how Paul may just be better than Uncle George.

That is when John began to believe Brian. 

The Alpha had simply gone to wake up Mimi, and having read the news he began an innocent and kindhearted conversation with her about the new story. Mimi then read it for herself, and didn't only see that Paul was getting more popular than her, but how people were already favouring Paul to _her_ George. In a fit or rage, she had chosen to speak to Paul and convict him of behaving 'unruly' because she knew that John would allow him to do so.

She wanted to upset Paul, because of something that the newspapers had said about George. And John swore that if she hadn't gone to watch her tennis match, he would be straight down to her and give her a piece of his mind.

But there was nothing he could do at that moment, and so with a sigh, he accepted that.

"I see..."

"I am sorry that you got the wrong end of the stick, sir." Brian spoke, sincerely, looking directly at John'. But John would not meet his gaze.

"No, no. It isn't your fault Brian..." He shook his head, placing the newspaper back on Brian's desk. "Thank you."

"Anytime, sir."

And with that, John left the room, his head hung low, and trying to thing what on earth he was going to say to Paul to make up for Mimi's behaviour.


	16. Excitement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry for no posts. I don’t tend to post on the weekends, I’m usually busy lol. Anyway, as it’s a Sunday evening now, why not give you all a treat 😉)

Paul was scared.

He had locked himself in his room, laying flat on the silk sheets and staring up at the chandelier above him. To say he was scared was an understatement, and the dread of what would happen when he actually left the room...

He was scared that as soon as he opened the door, things would be how they should. John would have been told by Mimi that he would also be in great trouble if he decided to disobey her for any longer. George would stop treating Paul with respect, the beta could get into trouble too, maybe even fired!

Paul had only been here for three days, and yet he had already caused so much havoc and distress to everyone else. He always seemed to cause upset and trouble, maybe if he was to do what he was told...

He could hear what was going on in the drawing room, only slightly, but he still could. John had re-entered the room, with what sounded like a rather agitated voice.

"Is he still in there?" John asked Stuart.

"Yes, sir. He is."

"Has he left at all?" The Alpha questioned.

"No, your highness... He has been in there since you left." 

John sighed, very loud.

"Macca... Please come out... I must talk to you."

Paul's eyes flew wide open, and tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. It was really happening, John was going to scold him too. 

Although John was actually very concerned, Paul could not see that. He had somehow managed to convince himself that John was going to yell at him, and treat him how an Omega should be treated. The idea was like a stab in the chest, and he couldn't help letting out a sob.

"Paul...." John repeated.

With a sniff, Paul sat up. He knew he had to face up to what was going to happen to him, as he couldn't leave. He had nowhere else to go. The Omega was stuck, as going home was not an option either. So with slow footsteps, Paul managed to drag himself over to the drawing room doors, and hesitantly opened them. John was now alone, Stuart not in sight.

With a shaky breath, Paul bowed his head to the floor, before going down onto his knees. He didn't dare look up, he knew it would remind him of what everything was like just the day before. 

"Oh, my darling..." A sad voice whispered. "Please don't do that..."

Paul looked up in confusion.

"W-What...?" He asked timidly.

"Come head." John replied back, his voice barely above a whisper. His arms were held out wide, and Paul gladly threw himself into them. "You don't have to kneel to me, Macca..."

Paul just whimpered into John's neck, as the two of them stood in the doorway. The Alpha caressed the hair at the back of Paul's neck ever so gently.

"She didn't mean it Paul. I won't let her do anything to hurt you, Macca..." John spoke with determination. "Over my dead body... You're a part of this family now, Omega or not...."

Paul abruptly pulled his head back, staring John in the eyes. It was silent for a few seconds, until Paul's head began to inch forward. He was slow, and his eyes were still open, as well as his mouth being closed. Paul was trying to see if John would move too, and thankfully, John did just that.

When their lips joined, both boys closed their eyes, feeling eachother's lips on their own. John's lips were softer than he imagined, and so soft. They were honestly like heaven.

A door opened, but neither Paul or John immediately heard it.

"Is Paul out ye-" George's voice appeared, and that they did hear. Paul immediately pulled away, John too. "Oh my, I- I'm sorry..." He spoke, astounded.

"It's alright, George..." John shook his head, a slightly amused smile on his face. 

"I just came to check you were alright, Sir... Stuart had told me what had happened. But I can see you're doing just fine." He spoke, rather sarcastically. 

"Yes." Paul nodded. "Thank you, George." 

"I'll leave you too it..." But just as the Beta was about to leave, John stopped him.

"No... Wait, George." John spoke, and George immediately paused. "What was it you came to discuss?"

"Well... I just wanted to know if you would like to come shopping with me, sir?" He asked, facing Paul. "Mr Martin informed me that I should ask for your answer first and he will send a car and security to take us to town right away, undercover."

The first thing Paul did was look to John, asking permission. It was like he was a little boy, and John was his father. Silently, John nodded, a pretty smile on his lips.

"Go and have some fun..." He spoke, patting The Omega's shoulder.

"Of course." Paul smiled back.

"And you." John turned to look at George, who soon paled. "Look after him. I want him back the same way he is now..." The Alpha joked.

"Certainly, sir."

Paul began to make his way over to George, before he was stopped.

"Wait, Macca." The Omega spun his head round, puzzled. "Your collar..."

John rushed over, before delicately flattening the crumpled fabric out. Paul felt his skin tingle at the graceful touch, and he wanted to kiss John once again. But he wanted to save the more passionate kissing for when they were alone, and when he was fully ready... 

What Paul did do, however, was climb onto his tiptoes, placing a sweet kiss on John's cheek.

"Goodbye, John." He smiled, genuinely.

"Bye, my darling."

Paul could feel John's soft gaze on his back as he headed over to George, the two giggling as they exited the room.

-

John's mind was filled with hundreds of sensations. He still felt a tremendous amount of anger towards his aunt, and how selfish the woman's actions had been, and another large part of John tingled with giddy ness because of his own interaction with Paul. He honestly never thought it would be this easy to fall in love with the person he was arranged to marry.

But Paul was more than just someone that John had been arranged to marry. He had a heart, a big one, and the fact that his kind heart had been temporarily broken before because of Mimi's cruel words also upset John. Paul didn't mean any harm, none at all. He was such a delicate boy, and that wasn't because he was an Omega, but because of how he had been treated back at home.

His mother had passed away at 14, and his own father had passed the blame form that onto Paul. When in reality, none of it was Paul's fault. From how Paul had spoken about his mother, briefly in the interview and such the previous day, he had adored her. She taught him how to read, how to love, and he had nobody to confide in when she had gone. Nobody but his brother, who was also suffering.

John was going to be there to comfort Paul, he wanted to be there. Paul didn't deserve to be hurt, and John worried about him greatly. Even at that moment, when Paul was in the town. He knew that Paul would be safe, Malcolm was the best body guard one could acquire, but just the thought of him being mobbed by excited crowds worried John.

He had only known Paul for three days, yet he already knew he couldn't live without him.

If there was one person who could distract him form this worry, he knew it would be his best friend and buddy, Ringo, who John often ranted to and confided in when he himself was feeling trapped and down. Mostly when Mimi had irritated him deeply. But she had done more than just irritate John on that day.

John picked up the black telephone that lay on his bedside table, placing it in his ear and waiting for one of the Royal's personal switchboard workers to pick up the phone. 

"Your highness?"

"Ah, Marie. Please can you put me through to the Starkey household?"

"Of course, sir."

The noise from the line turned sour and beeped a little, until the Alpha on the other end picked up.

"John?" A rather breathy voice asked from the other line.

"Hey, Ringo..." John sighed, rubbing his eyebrows arms he lay down in the bed. "I'm knackered to be quite honest with you."

"Oh really? Why's that?" Ringo spoke, once more in short sentences.

"Well... It's just-" John thought for a second. "Hold on, Rich. Why do you sound like you've been running a marathon?" 

There was then a muffling noise, as if Ringo had covered the microphone with his palm. 

"Ringo?" He called a bit later.

"Yeah, John... Forgive me, but what were you saying?" Ringo asked. He was clearly busy.

"Oh well... If you're busy, I can call back later..."

"Well..." There was muttering in the background. "Look, how about we go out tonight? I was thinking a night on the town, in disguise. You know, for your stag do before the wedding? We can talk, and you can tell me about that fiancé of yours."

"Yeah... Yeah alright." John nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Around 8?"

"Sounds Great..." Ringo added. "Well I must be off then. Got... _stuff_ to do."

John heard giggling in the background, a giggling that didn't sound like his mother at all. It was manly giggling. 

That is when it clicked. Ringo had an Omega around there with him, and they had been _busy_ when John had called. 

"Alright, goodbye then, Rich." John spoke, trying not to show that he knew.

"See you later, John." 

Almost immediately, the phone was slammed into the holder on Ringo's side, and the line went dead. That encounter had actually cheered John's mood up... Knowing that Ringo was having fun as well as him being excited for later on. 

All that, and remembering that Paul was safe and well with George.


	17. Out

John was wearing his best 'casual' outfit. A velvet purple shirt with red flowers patterned on the front, along with red corduroy flare pants. When Stuart entered the room, John was practically fully changed.

"You requested to see me, sir?" The boy spoke to John, who was slipping into his shoes.

"Yes, I did... But it doesn't matter anymore. I changed myself." John responded.

"I am ever so sorry for the delay, sir. Martin had dragged me into his office to discuss some adjustments to your suit for the wedding." Stuart explained, standing still in the corner. His posture was straight, and his hands were clasped together in-front of him. 

"Oh yeah... Do you know what my suit looks like, then?"

"Indeed I do, your highness..." The Beta nodded.

"And is it catching?" He smirked, heading over to his drawers, snatching some aftershave from inside.

"It is." 

"Good." John sprayed the aerosol as continued speaking. "Look... Is there any chance that you know what Paul's outfit looks like?"

"Yes, sir."

"Brilliant!" John exclaimed, throwing the bottle back into his drawer and slamming it shut. "Now, Stuart... I need you to listen _very_ closely..."

"Of course...?"

"Is there any chance that the obligatory cape can instead be red, like Paul's mothers had been for her own wedding?" John asked, having a very strong idea of what the answer to his question would be. And when Stuart sighed, he knew his idea was correct. "Just the cape... The rest can be the same!"

"Sir... I am afraid the colours of the cape can not be altered... Blue and Orange are the colours of the kingdom's flag, the kingdom's pride, and they have not been altered in-"

" _In centuries..._ I know..." John muttered, cutting Stuart off. "But the 1960's are a new decade for Omega's. In today's society Omega's have more rights than ever, and so surely there must be something that can signify their struggle? The cape changing colour would be the perfect symbol!"

"Your highness... I agree with you, I honestly do... It would indeed be perfect. But apart from me not having the correct status to alter anything anyway, I honestly do not promise that it will be allowed..."

John's patience was dramatically sinking. He knew his idea was brilliant... Not only would the new cloth signify change, but it would mean that Paul would get to wear the same cape as his mother did. He would get to honour his mother, and John knew that would mean a great deal to the Omega. It may even settle his nerves... 

John just wanted Paul to be comfortable.

"Well... Do you know _who_ I could speak to on this matter, Stuart?" John huffed. He knew it wasn't Stuart's domaine, but Stuart was his courtier... He was payed to deal with John. 

"Martin. I believe the person to ask on this matter would be Martin." The Beta explained, and the Alpha nodded.

Of course... Martin. He was the chamberlain of the house, and was mostly in charge of the wedding (as well as government).

"Right... I see." 

Just as John was about to thank Stuart and make his way over to Martin's office, there was a knock on the official door to his bedroom. 

Shit, that wild be Ringo.

Stuart had already made his way over to the door, and of course, when it opened, Ringo was stood there. He wore dark blue flare jeans, with a black shirt and leather jacket. Not forgetting the sunglasses to disguise himself.

"Ah good, you haven't forgotten." Ringo chimed, entering the room. He threw another pair of sunglasses John's way, and the Alpha quickly caught them.

"And why would I have forgotten?"

"Well, you could have been obsessed with James, your new Omega... Your _fiancé_." He spoke the last word in what he would have called a funny accent, however John called it a childlike accent.

"Very funny." John rolled his eyes, before facing Stuart. "Thank you, Stuart." Those words were a gesture for the Beta to leave.

"Your highness." Stuart bowed, before smiling and exiting the room.

"Where is James, then?" Ringo asked, looking around. 

"Paul. And he's out at the moment." John explained, walking over to the coat hangers near his bedroom door and taking the leather jacket.

"Where is he?" 

"Out picking clothes, with his courtier, George." John explained, pulling the jacket over his shoulders. "He's had an ever so rough day, thanks to Mimi..."

"Of course. Could she not have let the poor boy settle down before ripping into him?" Ringo sighed.

"Apparently not." John shook his head, still feeling bitter at the whole topic, even though he'd had plenty of time to calm down by this point. "Anyway, I left him a note explaining where I'd gone. He should read it when he and George actually return, so let's go."

"George? Who... Who's George?" Ringo asked. "Is he an Omega? I heard that Omega's consorts often have Omega courtiers, too-"

"No, Ringo..." John interrupted, rolling his eyes once more. "George is not an Omega, and even if he were you couldn't add him to your list of... Sleeping partners. His job would be at risk."

"I'm guessing he's a Beta?" Ringo huffed.

"Yes. And he's only 17." John added, chuckling at the end of his sentence as Ringo began to pale.

"Yeah, you know what... Maybe I'll definitely skip that offer." He joked, and John opened the door, laughing along with Ringo as he shoved the other Alpha through the door and into the corridor.

-

John had decided to drive into the city himself, as the public didn't know what his car looked like, or any of them for that matter. But his most prized possession, his 1958 Chevrolet Corvette in white, which had been a gift to him from his mother for his 18th birthday, was unfortunately very well known. It had been very popular at the time of John's 18th birthday party, as people all over the kingdom were desperate to drive what the future king was driving.

So instead, he went for one of his other cars, his black Ferrari 250 California. John loved his cars, he honestly did. One of his favourite things to do when he needed some serious alone time was to take one of his cars up for a spin around the tops of the kingdom (very high hills, in which from the top you could see as far as the Kingdom of Hawkes, over on the other side of the river.) It really was an amazing drive.

The Ferrari went fast, however John vowed he would never do faster than 60 miles an hour down the road that lead to the gates of Aquitaine palace. If Mimi saw him speeding down there, she'd sell the car for scrap metal...

Ringo had warned him that there weren't too many people stood outside of the gates, probably because Paul was not at home for the moment. So he drove though them practically unnoticed, apart from a few tourists who waved to him and took photos.

"God I can't wait to get pissed..." Ringo sighed, the wind blowing his brown mop top everywhere as John picked up speed on the main road. The car was a convertible, John's favourite kind of car.

"Me neither... I honestly think I need to just let go, you know?" John responded, and Ringo hummed in agreement.

"You really do. I mean, I couldn't even imagine how utterly terrified I'd be if I was getting married in no less than four days... I mean _four days_ and you will a married man, John..." He spoke in disbelief.

And John could hardly believe it either.

"I know..."

"And don't forget all of those camera's filming you. I drove past the abbey on the way here, and they're loading even more of them inside." Ringo explained. "But, no matter how tough it will be, I'll always have your back, John. And I'll be stood next to you, at the alter, as your best man."

"Thank you, Ringo... I honestly don't see how I could have picked anyone other than you to take the role of best man." John smiled. "You've been there for me through everything. And I mean everything."

"And I plan to stay here." Ringo spoke trufully... There was a few seconds pause, until the conversation became more lighthearted once more. "So, how is he?"

"Paul?"

"Yeah. How is Paul?"

"Well, I mean... He is rather shy. But I mean, after his last few years, are you surprised?" The Prince explained.

"Not at all. I mean if I was locked in a room for four years, I myself just might have gone a little crazy, never mind shy..." Ringo joked.

"Well, that is something Paul definitely isn't... He isn't crazy. To be honest, he's actually one of the most sane people I've ever met."

With that, John fell silent, Ringo too. Instead, he just focused on the road ahead of him, a slight smile on his face as he remembered that in less than a week he was getting married to that sane and shy Omega. 

He wanted desperately to kiss him again.

-

Fair enough, Paul was disappointed that John wasn't there when he returned. However he had George, and over the shopping trip, he felt like he had honestly bonded with the Beta. He felt like he could actually call George a friend now, and a friend was something Paul had never had.

George had technically finished for work an hour before they had got back, as he finished work at 8pm and they had returned at 9pm, but he suggested that he should stay and 'hang out' with Paul.

"Are you sure we're allowed to do this?" Paul called to George, who was inside of Paul's on-suite bathroom messing around with something.

"Of course! If John and his friend are having fun, then why shouldn't we, sir?" 

Paul nodded to himself, crossing his legs as he sat on the bed in his undergarments. He stared forward, peering into the drawing room from through the doors that George had left open. His eyes landed on John's closed bedroom doors, and if he thought hard enough, he could imagine that John was in there. Knowing that John was inside always managed to make him feel safe-

"Look here, sir." Paul's eyes immediately darted away from John's bedroom doors, and over to George. He had a bowl, a large glass one, and inside was two spatulas and a _strange_ purple substance. 

"What... What on earth is that?" Paul gasped, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"It's a facemask..."

"A what?" Paul asked, with confused eyes. 

"Well..." George responded, climbing onto Paul's bed and crossing his legs too. He placed the bowl inbetween the two of them, and began to mix it around with one of the white, rubber spatulas. "You take this... And you lift it up, and you put it on your face."

"And then what?" Paul asked, genuinely confused at what he was looking at. He'd never heard of such a thing.

"You leave it on your face for an hour." George shrugged, still mixing the face-mask.

"And... Is it safe?"

"Completely, sir. Me and my siblings used to use them all the time to soften our skin. I have no idea how other people apply them... But we used to apply it like this..." George lifted up the spatula. " _this_..." He repeated, as he placed the substance on the Omega's face.

"What do we do while we wait for an hour?"

"We just... Talk. Or we listen to music..." George told him. "We just pass time."

"Oh..." He liked the idea of talking and listening to music. "That sounds fun."

"Yeah." The Beta grinned.

On the Beta's face, Paul repeated the same action that George was doing. He made sure to miss out George's eyes though, he wasn't an idiot.

After they had applied them, George had placed the bowl on the side, before asking for Paul to give him a few seconds. The Omega believed him, and when George did finally return (after 2 minutes), he was carrying a record player, along with a few records.

They listened to jazz music, while chatting eagerly.

"Do you know what your wedding outfit looks like, sir?" George asked, like a hyper teenage girl.

"No... I have no idea."

"Well, whatever it is, you will look amazing, sir." George smiled, and Paul laughed.

"Thank you, George." Paul smiled.

"And who's walking you down the aisle?" 

"Well... I was going to ask John if my brother could walk me. But then he was not here when we returned."

"I don't see why he should say no." George shrugged.

"No..." Paul mumbled, thinking carefully. "I sure hope he doesn't."

Paul needed to know that Mike was safe. Once he knew that, he would be able to relax even more.


	18. Drunk

"Ringo... Sh..." John giggled as he hovered around the telephone box. 

It was 1am, and Ringo and John were stood in some quiet street, under the dim light as the Prince tried to open the red door. They were both drunk like mad, of course meaning they could not drive home. The only solution was to have George Martin come and pick them up, but in order to request him, they first had to telephone him.

"Jus'... Jus' open it, John!" Ringo laughed, maniacally, as he stood on the curb and watched John's pathetic attempts.

"I can't Rich! M' hands feel like _jelly_!" John chuckled back.

"Give it 'ere..." Ringo murmured, as he made his way over to the box, leading John out of the way. He opened the red door in no time, and John stood there, astound. "C'me on... I'll dial th' number..." 

"'Kay..." John responded, climbing in next to Ringo, who reached over the drunken Prince and closed the door. 

He dialled the number for the palace, and handed it to John.

_"H'llo?"_ John slurred out. _”Marie?!"_

_"Y-Yes?"_

_"'Tis John. The futur' king?"_ Ringo snickered at John's tone.

_"Your highness! My, whatever is the matter?"_ She responded, now very concerned by John's tone.

_"Marie?"_

_"Yes?"_

_”I'm pissed!"_ He shouted joyfully, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Ringo let out a shriek of laughter at the sentence, almost falling over in the little space he had.

_"Goodness."_ He heard her mutter, however her voice was very quiet. She must have moved the phone away from her face. _”I will call for Mr Epstein, sir-"_

_"Brian? No I d'n't wan' him! He's a bad man... Give me Martin!"_

_"Alright, your highness. I will put you through to Mr Martin now... Stay safe for the meantime, sir."_

_”Th'nks, Marie..."_ With that, he was put on hold.

"Ah shit, I sh'uld've told 'er how Brian tried it on wit' me..." John smirked.

"He did what?!" Ringo gasped, not knowing this information.

"Aye..."

"When... _What_?" Ringo laughed the last part.

"W'en the Queen of Ecatia visited an' Mimi held that party... Brian took me to the main drawin' room an' kissed me..." John snickered.

"But... He's an Alpha!"

"I know." John laughed, before hearing a static noise from the phone. _"Hello?"_

_"Your highness, Marie told me that you weren't exactly sober. Where are you?"_ Martin asked, patiently.

_"Well..."_ He pressed his palm against the microphone. "Rich w're are we?"

"Uh..." The older Alpha squinted his eyes, looking through the glass at the street sign. "'Tis blurry, John..."

"Try an' read it..."

"Ch... Charley.... Charleston..." Ringo tried.

_"Charleston street?"_ Martin added from the other end of the phone. John wasn't doing a good job at covering the microphone, his hand having slipped.

"Aye!" Ringo beamed.

_"Aye, Mart'n..."_ John repeated, the phone back to his ear. _”C'mon, hurry up, 'tis cold..."_

_"It's June...”_

_"Whatev'r... Just hurry up..."_

_”Yes, sir."_ Martin chuckled, before hanging up the phone.

John and Ringo didn't exactly know what to do while they were waiting for Martin, however in the end they decided on sitting on the curb. They were _very_ drunk, barely being able to see straight, and were laughing until they were crying over the littlest things. 

When Martin arrived, he had to practically carry John and Ringo into the car, while they laughed and joked all the way. It was hell for Martin, but he didn't only want to get the future king home safe, he wanted to get John home safe. He really did care about John, and liked to think of himself as a father, not just to him, but to his sisters as well.

-

Paul couldn't sleep. He had a great night with George, but there came a time when George had to leave. They had talked a lot about the wedding, and all though Paul loved the conversation at the time, there he lay, staring up to the chandelier as he worried about it.

He had no idea what was going to happen on the day. Hell, he didn't even have any idea what he was going to wear. Nobody had been confirmed to be walking him down the aisle just yet, as he still had to ask John and-

A creaky door opening interrupted his sudden worries, and his head shot up at the sound. It came from the drawing room, that was for sure.

"John." He whispered to himself, before pushing away the white, silken sheets. However he didn't know if she should talk to the man or not. It was late, after all, and John was probably tired.

But Paul knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't have any idea if Mike could walk him down the aisle, and so without a second thought, or any expectations, Paul made his way into the he drawing room.

What he _definitely_ didn't expect to see was John barely being able to stand, his shirt untucked and his face a dark red colour. Not to mention the fact he has laughing at himself. He hadn't yet even noticed the Omega.

"John?" Paul asked, wearily, and the Prince's head shot around almost immediately.

"Ah, Paulie!" John slurred out.

John was drunk.

"Are... Are you alright, John?" He asked, rather worried at the sight of his fiancé.

"'M fine, Macca." He chuckled. "Ey, howev'r 'bout a dr'nk, my love."

Paul felt his heart flutter at the nickname 'my love', but he knew John didn't mean it. John was drunk- _very drunk_. And to be honest, Paul had never seen anyone as drunk as John was. Not even his father.

By the time Paul was back in the real world, John had pulled a bottle of whiskey out from inside of the new mini bar in the far corner of the room. If he drank anymore he'd definitely need his stomach pumped.

"No, John... I'm alright..." Paul answered the Alpha's question, as he swiftly made his way over to him in order to confiscate the drink. "And I think you've had enough of that..." 

"But Macca..." John whined like a toddler as the bottle was pulled from his hands. "Don' you wan' a drink too, Macca?"

"I... I can't drink, Johnny. You know that Omegas can't drink." 

"Oh c'me on. I'm not gon' tell no one!" John defended himself. "Especially n't that bitch of an Aunt."

"Okay, I know you don't mean that..." Paul chuckled, rather stiffly. He shook his head as he placed the whiskey back in the cabinet.

"But Macca, I do- 'M I promise I do..." But Paul continued to shake his head in disbelief. "I hate her... She was horribl' to you... Why sh'ld I like her?"

Paul didn't respond, he just stood and stared at the drunken Alpha. He studied the man's face for what felt like forever, in complete silence. John didn't know what he was saying, the alcohol had invaded his mind, and it was the drink that was talking. He wouldn't hate her because of how she spoke to Paul, she was the Queen- his aunt!

Next thing he knew, John's lips were back on his own, kissing him. At first, Paul was in shock. But then reality hit, and the fact that John wanted to kiss him made him feel happy. Even if he was drunk, surely John knew what he was doing.

Although the chances of John remembering all of this the next morning were very slim. So in the end, Paul pulled away, a sad smile on his face.

"No, Johnny... Not yet..." John's eyes grew saddened, and Paul felt awful. But even kissing John when he was vulnerable and drunk felt wrong. Because John - _was_ vulnerable at that moment. "You're tired, aren't you?"

At that point, John nodded, rather shyly. Paul took his hand, beginning to lead him into his own bedroom.

"No!" The Omega stopped moving immediately,

"What?" 

"Don't wann' sleep alone..." 

To be honest, Paul didn't really like the idea of sleeping alone either. He couldn't exactly ask John about Mike when he was like this, it would be pointless. In the morning John would remember nothing of this. But maybe having someone next to him would help Paul sleep greatly.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed?" Paul asked, sweetly.

"Yes, Macca... Can I?"

"Of course, Johnny..." He turned direction, and led John into his own room. 

Paul closed the door behind them, making sure the only light in the room came from the lamp as he turned the chandelier light off. John was stood in the middle of the room, changing into his undergarments. Paul cleared his throat, looking away respectfully.

After around 5 minutes, Paul climbed into the left side of his bed, John on the right. And they lied like that all night. 

There was little difference in their positions, apart from when John took Paul's hand in his own at one point, while they were asleep.


	19. Headache

The lights were incredibly bright, and John could feel them messing with his head. He'd only opened his eyes for a second, yet his head was throbbing in complete agony. He couldn't even open them for long enough to study his surroundings.

"Urghh..." He groaned, pulling the covers over his head. 

Well, attempting too at least. There was a weight that was keeping the sheets down, and so he couldn't move them. That intrigued him, and so trying to forget about the hammer bashing into his skull, he opened his eyes.

There, next to him, lay Paul McCartney. He had a little smirk on his lips, a mischievous grin. On the table next to the bed, there was a bowl of water, and in Paul's hand was a flannel.

"You can close your eyes if you wish, Johnny." Paul spoke, those beautiful peachy lips smiling as he did so. John felt his heart flutter at the sweet nickname. "It would probably feel better..."

John had no idea how he'd ended up in Paul's bed. All he remembered really was being in the car with Ringo, and then queuing up for a bar. His memories from anything after that were rather cloudy. Ringo would probably remember, he could cold his alcohol a little better than John.

However one question that Ringo would almost definitely not be able to provide him with the answer to was how John ended up... Here. The Prince really hoped he hadn't done anything stupid with Paul, or somehow managed to lure the Omega into bed with him. He wasn't ever sure how he acted when he was drunk, he just could never remember. For all he knew, he could have been terribly nasty to Paul-

"You were rather drunk last night..." The Omega spoke, gently. John just hummed, wincing as he felt the wet towel pressed against his head. Paul had the actions of an Omega, the gentleness of his hands and the soothing voice. But it didn't make him any less of a man than John. "It's alright, Johnny... It is just some water for your headache."

"Thank you..." He spoke, blankly.

The two stayed in silence for a few seconds, John adoring Paul's gentle touch against his skin. But there was still an itch at the back of his mind, and he couldn't let himself fully give into the warm feeling because of it. He was still worrying drastically about how he had acted. The solution to his problem would of course be to ask Paul, but he just couldn't. A part of him wasn't so sure that he wanted an answer.

"How... How did I get here, Macca?" John asked, giving into the itch.

"Well... I was up all night, I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing with such dreadful thoughts. At around one in the morning, I heard you stumble through the door. When I checked to see if you were okay, you could barely stand up." Paul chuckled. If he was laughing, then surely John had not been as cruel as he had dreaded. "You then made an attempt to get even more drink, to which I stepped in and... And I suggested you go to bed." He hesitantly laughed.

"So...?"

"So then you said you didn't want to be alone, and I agreed. And I allowed you to sleep in here." Paul explained. "You were quite funny, actually." 

"Was I?" He asked, wanting to know more.

"Yes, indeed." He laughed. "You were a joy."

A streak of relief fell through his body, and then he cursed himself for thinking he would ever act so dreadful towards Paul.

"You said that you couldn't sleep?" John asked, rather conserved at his past statement.

"Yeah..." The towel slowly fell from his forehead, and there was a little humming noise in agreement. John opened his eyes, confused. "I- I had wanted to ask you something last night..."

"Like what, my dear?" 

"Well..." Paul looked away shyly, towards his legs. "I was going to ask if my brother could walk me down the aisle on Saturday..."

"Oh..." Was all John responded. Who would walk Paul down the aisle was something that John had not thought about. In actual fact, he didn't think he'd heard anyone think about it. "Your brother, you say?"

"Yeah... Well, he's the only family member I have that I'd want to walk me down the aisle." He laughed, timidly. "And even if for some bizarre reason I wanted my father to, he wouldn't leave his kingdom. Especially not for his _most useless son_..." 

A vivid frown fell upon Paul's face, as he probably thought about his father. John hated to see him upset.

"Is that what he used to call you?" He asked, cautiously.

"Yeah..." Paul spoke, blankly. 

"I'm sorry..." John's placed a comforting hand on Paul's shoulder, and the Omega turned to look at him. A false and weak smile then appeared on his face once more.

"It's alright..."

"That man doesn't deserve to walk you down the aisle... Not at all." John agreed, and Paul nodded. "I will make a call to Martin later on, and get him to request your brother's access."

"Oh thank you!" Paul's face lit up. "Thank you so much, John! Oh you have no idea how much that means."

The Omega jumped forward, his small arms wrapping around John's firm and built shoulders. John winced as his own tender head landed on the pillow, but he held Paul close despite the pain.

"It's alright, my love..." John responded. "Just... My head is throbbing."

"Oh." Paul spoke, leaning back. "I'm sorry..." He chuckled slightly. "I forgot..."

"Oh don't worry about it... Just, can you please pass me the towel?" 

"Of course." 

He reached over to the abandoned towel on the bedside table, and let it soak in the water for a few short seconds. Paul drained the water out, and passed it to The terribly hungover Alpha.

"You'd make a brilliant nurse, Paul."

"Why, thank you." He smiled.

A few seconds later, and Paul had left John alone in order to have a shower. The Alpha closed his eyes, the cloth still pressed closely to his forehead, as he tried to get a little more sleep. However the universe didn't seem to like that idea, as there was a knock on the drawing room door.

John groaned, before shouting back. "Not now, Stuart!" He grumbled.

"Wait... Your highness?" A confused voice appeared.

Of course, it was George. Not Stuart. George was Paul's courtier, and John was in _Paul's room_. He couldn't exactly leave George without an answer.

"Come in." He sighed, and he knew his poor head would hate him for this. 

The drawing room doors had opened almost immediately, and John creeped out from under the covers. In the doorway, George stood still, his arms folded and a rather shameful look on his face. It was like he was saying: 'I know what you did, don't try and deny it.'

"Oh, God, no..." He shook his head at George, answering the courtier's silent question. "We didn't-"

He was once again interrupted by the opening of another door, the bathroom door. Then out walked Paul, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and John lost all his train of thoughts. There were still beads of water on his torso, and his dark hair was damp, slightly dripping onto the wooden floor.

Paul looked gorgeous.

"Hello, George." Paul beamed, in the best mood John had seen him in so far. "John said yes to Michael!"

"Oh that's great!" George smiled at Paul, before giving John a hasty sidewards glance. He had the same untrustworthy expression as before, and John gulped at the newfound fear in his stomach.

He made a note to himself:

_Never piss off George Harrison_

"C'mon then, sir. Let's get you changed..." Paul nodded, making his was over to the mirror.

Just as John went to pull the covers over his head to give Paul his privacy, he saw George reach behind the mirror and pull out a brown screen divider for Paul to change behind.

Whilst the two were changing, John couldn't help but listen in to their conversation.

Thankfully, Paul was explaining exactly what he had told John to George, and John was glad he was no longer on George's hit list. He was also giggling with George, something about having really clear skin.

But John didn't question any of it, because Paul had finally found a friend. And that was progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before the wedding!
> 
> I hope you guys don’t mind time skips, because once the wedding has passed, there’s going to be quite a few of those...
> 
> (Some smut too 😳)


	20. The Wedding ~ 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided I’m gonna split the wedding into two parts. One part in John’s POV and then one Paul’s POV. Also sorry for the delay I’ve been holding the wedding off 😅

The birds chirped outside, and the record played in the background. John was getting changed in one of the many spare rooms in John and Paul's quarters, with a nervous mind. He was indeed scared, as this time tomorrow he would be a married man... 

But John couldn't have asked for a better or nicer person to be married to. Paul was just amazing. He was sweet, kind, caring, and he was ever so beautiful. He just wished that he could have met Paul himself somewhere, and they _chose_ to marry, rather than being forced by the people in charge. But John didn't want to complain too much, after all, he had Paul and Paul had him. That was all that mattered.

"John will you stop bouncing your leg, poor Stuart's struggling terribly with your moving." Ringo scolded John, acting like he was his father. He sat in a chair behind the mirror, smoking as he petted Pyramus and smoked a cigarette at the same time.

"Sorry, Stuart..." John sighed. "I'm just ever so nervous." 

"It's alright your highness. I'm almost finished now anyway." 

People had been walking in and out of the room constantly, giving Stuart little pieces of John's uniform or giving the Alpha their good luck. However when the door flew open this time, the person who entered was not particularly someone who John wished to see on the morning of his wedding.

"Your highness..." Brian spoke, and John kept his eyes firmly on himself in the mirror. He could see Ringo behind him, glaring at John's ex-courtier. So Ringo remembered what John had told him... "Uh- Do you think his highness and I can be left alone for a few seconds?"

"No." Ringo spoke fiercely, rising to his feet. Pyramus mowed in disappointment, jumping from Ringo's lap and rushing over to John's feet, where he began to nuzzle into his ankles. "If you have anything to say to John, _we_ will be here."

John was grateful to have such a great best friend Like Ringo. John hadn't remembered telling Ringo about the Brian situation, but the day after their night out, Ringo had telephoned him and they had spoken about it. It was safe to say that Ringo had been very defensive of John, and he had vowed to _beat up_ Brian if he tried anything again. Especially now that John was almost married.

However a part of John did want to know what Brian wanted. He had an idea, but he really was rather intrigued. In the end, the curious part of John's brain won, even though he knew Ringo wouldn't like that outcome.

"Rich, it's okay..." John shook his head, turning around to look at the angered Alpha. "I'll be alright, just a few seconds."

"What?" Ringo asked, his eyes widening. 

"You and Stuart can both stand outside. And if anything goes wrong, I'll call for you." John explained.

He could see Ringo's eyes laced with confusion, the man having tilted his head and looking over to John with uncertainty.

"Are you sure about this, John?" Ringo asked, and even Stuart looked a little concerned.

"Terribly, yes. I am serious..." He sighed. 

However Ringo nodded, before heading towards the door. He didn't fail to give Brian a glare, infact John saw ever Stuart glare at the eldest Alpha. As soon the door closed, John looked over to Brian.

"Whatever is it? Do you not know that today is one of the busiest days of my life?" John spoke, as if he had somewhere to be. Which he did.

"I just wanted to let you know how happy I am for you, John." Brian spoke, trying to hide his hesitance. "You're incredibly lucky to have such an amazing Omega."

"I don't wish to know that you're happy for me, for I know you are not." The elder Alpha didn't move, just stood there, his face telling John that he'd been caught guilty. "You still wish I was a single man, don't you, Epstein."

"What?" Brian eventually laughed, a shocking attempt at trying to hide his true feelings.

"You wish I was still alone, because then you would have a chance with me..." John explained, and Brian just stared at him, rather blankly. "Well. you're lucky you're even still here. When Mimi found out- God, if she wasn't fond of you you would be on the _streets_ right now.."

Brian's silent nature had disappeared, and a desperate man seemed to take over his body.

"John... We can make this happen." Every emotion Brian had once tried to moderate had been set free. He had removed his mask, and was now begging. "I promise John. We can be ever so quiet about it, I shall not tell anybody!"

"What?!" John exclaimed, not being able to hold back a laugh of his own. 

"I know you feel this too..." Brian spoke, rushing over to John. There was little space between them now. "This burning, passionate feeling whenever you're around me..."

"Whatever are you on about?" John spoke, a disgusted look on his face. "Stop this silly nonsense."

"I know you want me, John." Brian rushed out, grabbing John's hands and keeping them in his firm grip.

"I certainly do not." John defended his nature, pulling his hands out of Brian's grasp. "Brian Epstein, you are a married man. You have a loving Omega husband at home... You have a child together! What is this whole ordeal about?!"

"Don't you get it? I am in love with you, John..."

"I-I know you are." John sighed. "But convincing yourself that _I_ return those same feelings is not going to help." John explained, and Brian's face fell.

"But you do... I can see it in your eyes John."

"Then you need glasses." John spoke, bluntly. "There is no feeling of lust towards _you_ in my eyes, Brian. Most definitely not a look of love! So you must stop convincing yourself otherwise, it will make you ill." 

"Stop lying to yourself..." But his voice wasn't loud and demanding. This time, it was quiet and saddened.

"The only one here who is lying to themselves is you..." John stated.

Brian's eyes were now looking on the floor, and his arms had fallen beside him. He stood in shock, in the middle of a random room of the palace, completely defeated.

"John..." He whispered out.

"That's _your highness_ to you, Brian." John informed him, trying to be as gentle as he could, and Brian nodded. "In ten minutes I will be setting off to the Abbey. And in an hour, my fiancé will arrive there. It is up to you if you wish to fufil your invitation..."

He nodded once more, staring blankly at the floor. Without another word, John walked past the man, patting him on the back. It was about time he and Ringo had made their way to the car, anyway. The walk to the steps sometimes took forever.

John exited the room and made to the corridor, closing the door to the room behind him and leaving Brian alone.

"Stuart, please can you take Pyramus in your car?" He asked the man, who had already picked the cat up. 

"I can indeed, sir."

"I could never be so cruel as to leave you here on my wedding day, baby..." He told the cat, who meowed in response as John stroked behind his ear.

"I shall meet you at the Abbey." Stuart smiled.

"Yes, thank you, Stuart." John nodded, before he and Ringo finally made their way down the corridor.

"What did you say to Brian? He still hasn't come out..." Ringo looked behind his shoulder, back at the door of the room that John had just been in, where he had spent his whole morning.

"I told him the truth."

-

The black rolls Royce neared closer and closer to the Abbey. Even when they were two miles away from it, he could see crowds gathered around, waving their flags of Aquitaine in the air and wearing bright colours as they cheered his car past. He couldn't help but grin as he waved back at them, and when the car eventually stopped in front of the Abbey, only then did he take a few seconds to breathe.

"You alright, John?" Ringo, his best man, asked from the seat next to him.

"I am." He turned to look at the man "Infact, I think I'm better than I've ever been." Ringo patted his shoulder, before thanking the driver and giving a nod in the direction of the car doors.

The cheering of the crowds that John heard when the chauffeur opened the door was indescribable. They were clearly so excited to see their future king get married, and the sound of their cheers made John feel thrilled.

As the Prince's feet landed on the ground, he made his way a few steps forward, standing just in front of the steps, returning a wave to the crowds, which only excited them more. Once Ringo was back at his side and the car had moved away, they began their journey into the Abbey.

The cheering did not tame, not even when John was stood hollowly in the doorway, hugging his little sisters. They were Paul's bridesmaids, and were to walk behind him whilst holding the end of the cape. The girls had rehearsed their role so many times that John knew they would do just fine.

Inside the Abbey, many people sat in awaiting, calming their chatter down when the doors opened for the Prince to enter. There were Kings, Queens and Presidents of many Kingdoms sat in the left pews, and on the right, we're the Prince's family, friends and courtiers. However what did rather upset John, beyond the whole excitement she was feeling, was the fact that no matter how far he tried to look, he couldn't see _any_ of Paul's family. It really did hurt John to see.

The Organ played a fierce tune as John made his way slowly down the aisle, trying his best to keep his eyes staring straight forward. But the Abbey was just so amazing. The roof was filled with paintings that were hundreds of years old, and beams of reds, purples and blues from the sunlight shining through the stained glass windows reflected onto the marble white floor. John was terribly glad that this was the place that Martin had chose, it was shockingly beautiful.

His immediate family, as well as Martin, Stuart and all of the other courtiers, were sat calmly and proudly. Pyramus was lay in Stuart's arms, seemingly asleep, which John mentally chuckled at, and George was stood next to Stuart, eagerly looking at the door and awaiting Paul's entrance. However, there was no sign of Brian.

John's sister was of course sat proudly amongst his family, as well as his two uncles and his paternal aunts. They all smiled at him, giving him a warm sense of comfort that his family were excited for him. In fact, the only person who was not smiling in his direction was The Queen. But John expected as much, she wasn't a smiling person.

However, what John certainly did not expect to see on the day of his grand wedding was his mother, sat in the middle of his paternal aunt's and their partners. She had a giddy smile on her face as she talked away to his aunt Esmerelda, and John couldn't help but grin at the sight of her. He had missed her ever so much, and it had been months since the two had seen eachother. When the woman caught John staring at her, she gave an excited wave his way, and he smiled happily back at her.

The boys eventually took their place at the alter, Ringo standing tall next to the Prince. When he looked back at the massive audience, and all of their eyes were on himself, the feeling suddenly dawned on him. This was it, this was his wedding day. And there was no going back from it.

Not that he would want to, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes at the top !!!


	21. The Wedding ~ Part 2

Paul didn't get much sleep on the night before his wedding. The poor Omega was tossing and turning all night. And if ever his eyes did manage to fall shut, he'd feel like he was falling off a cliff, immediately jolting back awake.

John had been there for the last few days. Even though they had only shared the same bed for one of those seven days, if brought great comfort to know that John was in the room practically next to him, and that they were both safe. And so when John was suddenly taken away from him, and the Alpha's presence was not there, Paul found sleeping incredibly hard.

He stood there yawning as George used the lint roller on his suit for the third time, terrified that there still was some form of stray fluff on his blazer or pants. Of course, George was just panicking, but he still couldn't help the panic. There were ladies in waiting rushing in and out of the doors, supplying George with more accessories belonging to Paul. From jewellery, to pocket flowers and handkerchiefs, to shoes. It was utterly chaotic, and Paul was not surprised that George was stressed out.

"Are you almost done, George?" The also nervous Omega asked, looking in the mirror at the panicking Beta behind him. "Mikey's in the drawing room. I must see him soon, I want to talk to him."

"Yes... Yes I am." The Beta nodded, shoving the lint roller onto the side. "I just need to call Martin. He has the whereabouts of your cape..."

"Well, please may I at least call the dining room in order to get a coffee, just while you call Martin? I need waking up a little-"

"No!" George I interrupted, his voice desperate. "I-I'm sorry, sir..." He immediately sighed. "I'm just so scared of anything damaging your attire..."

"I understand." Paul nodded, eyes growing soft.

Paul felt great pity for George. The Beta was not just dressing Paul like it was any normal day, he was dressing Paul for his wedding. He was the Royal Omega Bride, and poor George was the practically the only person in charge of dressing him. So Paul forgot about his own selfish thoughts, and focused on calming his new friend down.

"Look, how about I go and talk to Michael while you call for my cape? Michael will not damage my suit."

"Alright, sir." George smiled hesitantly, agreeing with Paul's request. 

With a final reassuring smile, Paul made his way over to the doors, pushing them open in order to reveal his brother. Mike was sat on the velvet sofa in the corner, his eyes closed and hands over his face. Paul couldn't help but chuckle.

"May I look?" The younger boy asked, a smile clearly upon his face, though his hands mostly hid it.

"Yes..." The Omega chuckled.

Slowly, Mike slid his hands down his own face, showing his features to his older brother. His eyes were still shut, however, and he counted from three before actually opening them.

"Oh my..." He whispered in awe as he stared at Paul, rising slowly to his feet. "Paul... You look fantastic!"

"Thank you." Paul gave his brother a content and genuine smile. "You do, too."

Since Mike had arrived at the palace, Paul had not been able to remove the smile from his face. It felt so great to see his brother again, and there had been a constant feeling of joy in his stomach. That feeling luckily managed to shield the enormous anxiety he also felt, which he was incredibly grateful for. 

"I wish I could give you a hug..." Paul sighed.

"Why can you not?" Mike asked, tilting his head in confusion. 

"George has been panicking about the suit all morning... The littlest of marks and I fear he may just pass away..." Paul couldn't help but chuckle once more.

"Oh dear." Mike laughed along. "Well, I can assure you I am perfectly clean. I had some of your husband's courtiers dress me, and so I am certain there are no marks on me."

Paul took a few moments to think about it. His eyes rested on the boy's black suit, his white blouse underneath and his clipped black tie. Not to forget the crimson flower that sat in his pocket, a great reference to the Kingdom of Rotherham. Paul did wonder how Mike had been allowed to wear such colours, and not the orange or blue colours of Aquitaine...

"Come here." Paul beamed, holding his arms out, and the sixteen year old waisted no time in rushing straight over to Paul. 

For a moment, Mike had knocked the air from Paul's lungs, however the Omega didn't care, rather just relaxed deeper into the scent of his younger brother. He'd always managed to calm Paul down, especially in these last few years, and he was so glad to have the Alpha back. Even if it was only for a few days. It had only been a week that he had spent away from the boy, however that week had felt like years. 

Sometimes he felt like he wanted to curse his father, he honestly did. It was not fair... All the pain that man had put Paul through. He really did want to give him a great piece of his mind-

"I was so glad when I picked up the telephone and heard your voice, Paulie..." Mike spoke into The Omega's collar, gripping the older somehow even tighter. 

"Oh, Mike..." Paul breathed out. "I know... I was so happy that you had somehow managed to leave a message."

"They kept taking them away. Every letter I tried to send... They moderated them all!" Mike informed him.

Paul pulled away.

"How were you allowed here, Mike?" Paul tilted his head. "Surely father would have prevented that, too?"

"He does not know I am here..." Mike frowned this time, his eyes falling to the ground.

Paul was in shock. Mike had snuck away from the Kingdom in order to walk Paul down the aisle. For /Paul/. He would understand if it was for one of his Beta cousins, but for an Omega? Why would he go to such efforts...

"Why?" Paul whispered out.

"Because you're my brother." Mike explained, his eyes locking with Paul's. "You are my brother, and I love and miss you greatly... Never mind about if the newspapers here like me or not... What matters is you, Paul. You should be happy today of all days, and I want to be here to help you feel like that."

Paul felt his eyes water.

"But... But what about father, Mike? Surely he will have heard of your being here?"

"I do not care." The Alpha stated, immediately. "I am the future King... He may punish me all he likes, but I am the future of Rotherham. And at the moment, deep down, he understands that I am the only hope for said kingdom. If I am gone, then the monarchy will be gone. There is simply no question about it, the people now despise the man..."

Paul took a few seconds to process Mike's words, before embracing him in yet another hug. This time it was him who almost squeezed the air from Mike's body, but Mike did not care.

They stayed like that for a good few minutes, until a knock was heard on the doors. It hurt Paul to pull away, but he reminded himself that his brother would be with him for the entire day.

"Enter!" Paul called, brushing his suit down.

George entered the room, two finely dressed young men walking after him. George gave him a rather pitiful look, before nodding at the floor to him. The Beta moved to the side, and Michael did too.

"Omega." One of the men, carrying a large box, declared. 

John had informed him about the importance of the dressing of the Royal Omega Bride's cloak was. It was an Aquitaine tradition that went back hundreds of years, and Paul had obviously agreed to take part.

However the man's voice was rather unsettling to Paul, very dominant, and Paul knew he would have to act like the average Omega once more. He didn't really mind, it would only be for a few seconds, anyway.

"Kneel before the cloth." The same Alpha spoke, clicking his fingers, and Paul immediately did as he was told. His eyes landed on the ground. "Close your eyes." He closed his eyes.

There was a noise, the opening up of a box. The next thing Paul knew, the cloak was draped over his shoulders, and the Alpha was knelt infront of him, tying the straps into a tight knot.

The Alpha stood back up, and the two of them began whispering what seemed liked, to Paul, utter nonsense. However, Paul's as not one to insult another kingdom's tradition. That would be very cruel indeed, and Paul was not that sort of person. 

"Rise." He demanded, and Paul did so. "You may now open your eyes, Omega." He did just that, slowly, before being led to the mirror in the corner.

And what he saw... He just couldn't help but gasp at the sight. It was his mother's wedding cloak, the one she wore on the day of her own wedding all those years ago. It was a dark red, a crimson colour, with frills at the bottom, and the train was incredibly long. He felt himself tearing up, but from the corner of his eyes, he could see his younger brother smiling widely.

"Mike..." It was clear that the boy was the one who had provided the cape. "How on Earth..."

"I managed to pull a few strings." He shrugged, now smirking widely.

"Oh, Mikey..." Paul held out his arms. "Come here, my boy..."

The younger immediately ran up to Paul, wrapping his smaller arms around Paul's shoulders and grasping tight. Paul could hear George thank the other servants, telling them it was time to prepare to leave. 

Thanks to the cape, Paul was no longer as worried. He felt like his mother was with him... Like she would be walking with him down the aisle. She would have done if she was alive, Paul knew that. It didn't matter that she was an Omega... She would have fought for the right to do so, and she would not have given up until she had succeeded. 

He hugged Mike tighter at the thought of his mother. He was glad he at least had a brother, and especially glad that said brother was as loving and caring as Mike.

"Sir, we should probably head for the main entrance. The carriage should be here at any moment." With a deep breath, Paul pulled back, placing his hand softly on Mike's shoulder. 

"Alright." The Omega nodded, linking arms with the younger. George took ahold of the cape. "Let us set off..." He smiled.

-

Paul simply could not remember a time when he had travelled in such luxury. Of course he had ridden in a carriage before, on his father's 50th birthday celebration... But never like this. He had never had all the people around him cheering for him, or waving at him in pure excitement when he was inside. He was always in the background, sat aside, even before he presented as an Omega.

And so the sight of most of Aquitaine's population gathered for miles down the streets, throwing pretty orange and blue flowers onto the golden carriage, really made him think about who he was becoming. He was changing dramatically, becoming a different person all together. Paul was no longer the small Prince of Rotherham, always second best to his father. He was not a child anymore.

Paul was getting married, on that very day. But more importantly, he was getting married to a man with a heart of pure gold. Beyond the nerves, great excitement flooded through his body as he remembered he that would be seeing John again.

Paul waved to the crowds from inside of the carriage with one hand, his other hand in Mike's grasp. He smiled at the citizens, still in complete shock at the idea that they were waving at him, and that they were cheering for him. However the more he saw the people of Aquitaine cheer for him, the less of a shock it became. But Paul was still terribly grateful, to the point where he could have sobbed.

"If only father could see all of these people, Paulie... All of them waving at you and cheering for you." Mike spoke, staring at them in astonishment. "Maybe he would allow you to return home."

Paul just sighed, both his hand and vision falling to his lap. His heart sank at the thought of returning to Rotherham, or even seeing his father.

"I-I don't wish to return, Mike..." The Omega shook his head. "I have things here that I never could have dreamt of having back at the castle. I have cheerful sister-in-laws, courtiers who respect me, a crowd that _adores me_..." He stared aimlessly back out of the window as he finished his sentence. "And an Alpha that protects me..."

The Abbey could now be seen in the far distance, and the insane cheering somehow got louder. 

"You love him, do you not?" Mike asked, and when Paul turned to look at the boy, a vivid smirk was present on the younger's face. 

Paul stared past Mike for a few seconds, gathering his astray thoughts together. So many emotions travelled through him all at once, it was like being hit by a train of every single hormone at the same time.

However in the end, he came to an important conclusion.

"I do..." Paul nodded, slowly.

Mike squeezed Paul's hand harder, the carriage coming to a final stop.

On Paul's right, was the entrance to the Abbey, which he had recently grown rather familiar with. They had rehearsed the wedding slightly the day before, Paul being heavily told that it was not just a day for himself and his Alpha, but a day for the entire Kingdom. It was important that they got _everything_ completely perfect.

"Are you ready?" Mike smiled to Paul, his features genuine.

And with a deep breath.

"As ready as I will ever be, I suppose." The Omega smiled back, right on queue, apparently.

The carriage door flew open, and there stood a man he recognised from the day he first landed in Aquitaine, Malcolm the bodyguard. Malcom offered his hand to the Omega, which Paul gladly took, and he climbed out of the carriage. Mike followed after him, and once the two were stood next to each other, the carriage was pulled away by the two beautiful, grey, horses. The boys were left even more exposed to the crowd.

A crown was placed upon the Omega's head, as rehearsed. It was filled with sapphires and Rubies, and was his own.

They took their first few steps forward, up to where John's little sisters were waiting. They looked so sweet in their delicate orange dresses, and Paul couldn't help but give them a sweet and friendly smile. They beamed at Paul's gesture, before being rushed behind the Omega in order to take his cloak into their tiny hands. 

With a last brave look at his brother, Paul finally began to make his way up the many steps, waving to the people surrounding him as he did so. He smiled, white teeth glistening in the sun. But even the widest of smiles could not calm down the pit of fright that still remained in his chest.

He was not just marrying John, but an entire Kingdom...

But he was so ready.


End file.
